Digimon Revolution
by Foowd
Summary: Four young adults from different countries are all thrown right into the middle of a conflict in a world they can't even begin to understand. Now these four must team up with their Digimon Partners to take down the Digimon King once and for all! Foowd makes his triumphant return to writing after three years of silence! Rated T for violence and language.
1. Going Digital

**Author's Note:**

 **Uh… hi there… it's… been a while hasn't it? I'm sure most of you don't remember me, mainly because I was more active on the Spyro fanfic archive than here on the Digimon one. But I'd been absent from the fanfiction scene for over three years now… I wish I had a better excuse than "I had writer's block" but I don't.**

 **Okay there is a bit more to it than that, but most of it is personal stuff I'd rather not share online. Let's just say 2015 was a horrible year to be Foowd and leave it at that kk? Cool.**

 **But as you can see, I've made my triumphant return! A return that no one asked for, no one wanted, and quite frankly will make you regret your life decisions and mine. YAAAY!**

 **Digimon is © Bandai Namco and Toei Animation, neither of which are me. I'm just some idiot who fell off the face of the earth three years ago…**

 **Jason Allen, Ross Beck, Ethan Jacobs, and Okamon (Kinda) belong to me however, Kate Peterson and Bridget Shuno belong to my brother.**

 **Let's start the party!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Going Digital**

 _ **Walmart Electronics Section- Sanford, Maine-Afternoon**_

* * *

"No sir, you can't return it, it's opened."

I hated my job sometimes, but for a fresh out of high school kid like me, it was either Walmart or flipping burgers. Electronics **was** kind of up my alley, being a gamer and all, but dealing with irate people who didn't know their Kinects from their Xbox Ones, I won't lie, it got to me sometimes.

My name is Jason Marcus Allen, I live in a small town in Maine, there wasn't much to me really, I was a young, slender man, I had blonde hair with bangs that hung over my face, but you could still see my ice blue eyes. I wore my Walmart uniform with gray kahkis and black converse sneakers.

The man in front of me was clearly in his fifties, and looked to be the kind of guy who didn't get video games at all, he was trying to get a refund for his copy of Madden 18, problem being our return policy said you weren't allowed a full refund if it's sealing was removed. "I don't care! My son says it doesn't work and you owe me sixty dollars!" The man barked at me.

Me being a sensitive, quiet type, was **not** dealing well with being yelled at, I sort of shrunk inward, trying and failing not to look intimidated. "Sir.. I… I'm sorry, but… it's… it's store policy! I… I can only give you trade in credit!" I tried in vain to explain to the raging man but it did little to sooth his raging anger.

He quickly snatched the game from the counter. "Unbelievable, maybe I can find someone else in this store who isn't a complete asswhipe!" He screamed, causing everyone else in the store to start staring at us. As if I wasn't uncomfortable enough already, now I had the entire Walmart staring at me.

Thankfully the man made good on his word and left. I couldn't help but sigh in relief, the joys of working retail am I right? This is why "People of Walmart" exists…

I then noticed a rather disheveled man approach the counter, he had a rather worn Boston Red Sox cap on, his hair was black, long, and unkempt, he wore a long, dirty, black trench coat over a navy blue shirt and worn blue jeans. His face was aged, worn, his eyes hidden behind black sunglasses, his other features hidden beneath his long beard. "C...can I help you sir?" I asked, I didn't know what it was, but something about this guy seemed...off… I wasn't doing well hiding my trepidation.

The man said nothing, but I could feel him watching me from behind those shades, he simply set something on the counter and left. Before I could even respond he was already out of sight. Confused I looked to see what it was the mysterious stranger had left, it was a cd-r in a cheap looking jewel case, the words "Digidestined" written on the front in red sharpie. I just stared at it for what felt like an eternity, what the hell was I supposed to do here? I could tell the manager, but it probably wouldn't do much good, I could try to return the disc to the man, but I wasn't about to go on a wild goose chase through the Walmart to try to find some weirdo.

So, out of options, I pocketed the disc, what I did with it later would have to wait to be seen. All the while I couldn't help but think this was how most Creepypastas start… but I had a job to do so I would have to put it out of my mind, at least for the time being.

* * *

 _ **After Work…**_

* * *

That had to be the longest day of work in my life, I got into my car, started it, and began the long drive home. The mysterious disc still weighing heavily on my mind, the hell was up with that guy anyway, the disc sat in the passenger's seat, every bit as shady as the minute the weirdo left it on the counter.

I debated just tossing it and forgetting about it, but curiosity was a powerful force indeed, and it was intent on seeing what was on the disc, and why that man just up and left it for me. I know I was probably going to end up regretting it… but hey… I'd been needing an excuse to get myself a new computer anyway…

The drive home was surprisingly quiet, almost serine. As the scenery passed me by, lit only by the headlights of my car. The only sounds I heard were the small hum of the engine, It's the kind of thing that made you stop and really think about life… mine wasn't really all that much to write home about though…

I still lived with my mother and younger brother Shaun, mom was a reporter for a local news station, as such she's constantly wrapped up in work, barely even given a chance to live her life. It wasn't uncommon for her to go days without sleep, which I doubt was healthy for a woman her age.

My brother Shaun was a good kid at heart, but was still the typical younger brother who annoyed his older brother constantly. But at the end of the day we all were pretty close, standing together through even the worst of times.

But even still, I couldn't help but feel like I wanted more from life… like I was just spinning my wheels as life left me in the dust. Being a lowly Walmart cashier, it was hard not to have your soul crushed. I had dreams of my own, I was an artist by nature, and I had dreams of becoming a comic book illustrator some day, to draw the adventures of heroes I looked up to as a child. But my path to that dream seemed like it would never begin, neither me nor mom had the funds to send me to art college, and even if we did, the chance of getting picked up for such a job were slim to none.

Okay now I'm just depressed, but I guess that's what happens when you get lost in self reflection and your life is… less than stellar to put it nicely. I soon found myself in the familiar driveway of my home, a quaint little house in a small suburb. I opened the car door and stepped out, making sure to grab my mystery disc on the way out.

The front door opened with a small creek, it was about nine o'clock, which meant Shaun was asleep and my mother was, if not researching a story, asleep as well. This was confirmed by the dark silence that the house exuded, the only light being from the outside light creeping in through the front door. I debated turning the light on but decided against it, considering I was the only one awake and all. With a simple sigh I headed upstairs to my room, part of me just wanted to pass out on my bed after an exhausting day at work, but my curiosity about he disc seemed to be overriding it.

First thing's first though, I wanted out of this uniform, I hated the thing, and liked to spend as little time in it as possible. I entered my bedroom to find it the same as it always was, clothes sprawled along the floors, posters of movies on the walls, bookcases full of video games and trade paper back comics, my five rows of long boxes containing your standard comic books. My desk was at the far end, papers containing half baked concepts and sketches scattered across it's top surface, my desktop PC sat on it's far right end, a decent little PC rig that I had picked up ages ago, it still had Windows 7 on it.

I quickly threw off my Walmart uniform shirt, tossing it in the laundry basket with pin point accuracy. I traded it for a red t-shirt with "Maine" written on the front in black, baseball style lettering, the bland khakis were traded for black shorts. I was now much more comfortable now that I was free of that accursed uniform.

But now I had business to attend to, the mystery disc. My curiosity would not let me wait much longer, it wanted to know what the disc was and why that hobo left it for me. In retrospect, I probably should have questioned more why I was so eager to view the contents of a disc left by a creepy hobo, but hey, that's life I guess.

I hit the button on the PC tower to open the disc trey. The mechanism whirred to life as it presented the small, plastic disc trey before me. I removed the shady disc from it's case and gently placed it inside, pressing the button to send the trey back to whence it came. The PC sounded with the whirs and clicks of disc reading before the icon appeared on the screen.

"Click Me"

In my experience, clicking things that tell you to click them is a terrible idea, but something seemed to be compelling me to do so, like an unseen force was guiding my hand to a desired action. Before I knew it, I gave the icon a double click. The screen went completely black, as if it were booting up a game. The black screen seemed to linger for a few seconds before text began to appear on screen like an old DOS command prompt.

" _Connection established/_

 _/ Welcome Jason Allen to the DIGITAL WORLD_

 _/ Please enter "Yes" or "No" if you wish to know more."_

Okay, a few things. One: How the hell did it know my name? Two: What in the name of Christmas is the "Digital World"? Was it like Tron and I'd be entering a computer world? Or was this one of those "I don't understand the internet but want to sound hip and cool to the young kids" things, like when they used to call it the "Information Super Highway"? It seemed to be waiting for me to input something, I debated ejecting the disc, nothing good could come of this I could tell. I quickly hit the button on the PC tower to eject the disc but it didn't open, more text appeared.

" _/ ERROR! Cannot remove disc!_

 _/ You cannot run away from destiny Jason._

 _/ Please enter "Yes" or "No" if you wish to know more."_

Okay now the creepiness has reached critical mass! "I cannot run away from destiny" the hell does it mean by **that**?! I'm pretty sure this is how most creepypastas start. I tried the button again but the same line of text popped up as a result. So out of options I decided to play along with the creepy computer program and type "Yes", I would have gone with "No" but I had the sinking feeling I would have just been met with the same response as before. Predictably, more text popped up.

" _/ Thank you, Digidestined of America, you are but one of a chosen few that will save the Digital World from those who enslave it."_

Oh god what is even happening anymore? That word again, "Digidestined", it was the same one that was written on the disc, I didn't even think it WAS a word! The text continued.

" _/ We Digimon have been aware of your world for quite some time, we had originally wished to remain separate in peace, but it appears someone from your side had other plans and wishes to enslave it. The Digimon are suffering Jason, you've always dreamed of being a hero Jason, now is your chance..._

 _/ Type "Yes" or "No" to proceed..."_

I just stared at the wall of text for what felt like an eternity, I had no clue what to make of any of it! What was a "Digimon"?! It sounded like Pokemon but with a bit more "Digi", but the last part was the one that made me pause, you know that kid that had that stupid and unrealistic dream? You know, the one that wanted to be Batman when he was a kid? Yeah I was that kid. Every time I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said that I wanted to be a super hero, I wanted to save the day and all that stuff, of course I grew out of that and settled on the far more realistic dream of becoming a comic book artist, but thinking of it, I guess I never really did lose sight of that dream… even now as an eighteen year old man, but how this program knew that I had **no** clue.

Then there was the whole "Do I accept" thing, I debated with myself for a bit, to me this whole thing sounded like the set up to a video game, but it knew my name, and knew somehow I wanted to be a hero, I tried to use logic to create some kind of reasonable explanation for this, but couldn't. I began to type "Yes", despite all the warning signs in my head telling me I should say no, something in me wouldn't let me, I couldn't lie, I was very curious where this was going or what waited for me when I complied with this… whatever it was. Text appeared again.

" _/ Thank you, I hope you find what you seek Jason Allen"_

The screen then went dark again, I sat there in silence, kind of fearful of what might happen next. That was when my PC tower went berserk!

It began rocking and whirring violently, like it was trying to process the mother of all files! I quickly got out of my chair and backed away, fearful my PC was about to explode! Well I guess that's what you get for playing with those bootlegs son. Suddenly the screen came alive with what could only be described as a vortex of data. I suddenly found myself compelled to walk towards it, like some force was making me walk forward. I soon found myself reaching out to touch it. The second I did, everything went black…

* * *

 **A/N- And that's chapter one, don't worry, I'm writing more than one chapter at once so you won't have to wait very long for chapter 2.**

 **Update: 11/4/17: Fixing up the prose and adding more flavor to the text, nothing major though**


	2. A Brave New World

**Chapter 2: A Brave new World**

* * *

Ow my back, I felt like I had just gotten laid out by a linebacker! After a few minutes of mulling I managed to sit up,however, with one opening of the eyes I realized there was more wrong here than a sore back. I was in a forest, surrounded on all sides by luscious green trees, I could hear chirping birds in the distance creating a familiar ambiance that normally would have put my mind at ease, however, my issues weren't with what I heard, but what I saw.

There was a sort of… falseness… to the vegetation surrounding me. Something about the grass seemed... fake. I decided to take a closer look to see if I could confirm this or not. I couldn't quite place it though, but something about the grass seemed artificial, unnatural, like I was one a movie set or something. I reached out to touch it, and it's touch felt just as fake, smooth like plastic, but it **smelt** real, as if someone had sprayed it with a grass scent to add to the illusion. It was also short, as if someone had been mowing it, who mows the grass in a forest?

I stood on my feet, this odd, fake forest had a sort of unnerving creepiness to it I couldn't quite explain, it was a similar sensation to the uncanny valley, something that looks close enough to realistic, but was still clearly fake. I tried to shake this feeling as I began to walk forward, unsure where I was or what was even happening. I thought back to what had happened prior, me coming home from work and inserting that disc, it was insane to think that the disc and this fake forest could be connected, but something in my gut told me they were.

A bit of walking later and the eerily fake forest gave way to some kind of wasteland, the little tufts of vegetation that remained were brown and dead, it resembled that of a battlefield, whatever life had been here before was killed unceremoniously by... something. "What the hell?" I couldn't help but blurt out loud, the strong feeling of "I shouldn't be here" began to wash over me.

I began to leave but I heard something, a voice, it was too far to make out what was said, but the thought of finding someone else here who could shed some light on what was going on was like a breath of fresh air! I looked to see someone running towards me, clearly a female given her figure, I could tell from here she had fire red head, she wore a black t-shirt with a white skull on it, a white, long sleeve undershirt, black biker gloves, and tight white jeans.

When she finally got within arms reach she embraced me in a hug, as if she hadn't seen another human being in ages. "Thank GOD I found someone else here!" She said with a clear Irish accent, now that she was… erm.. so close, I could see she had bright, emerald eyes, and freckles under her eyes. She then let me go, seeing how… uncomfortable I was given her face "Sorry 'bout that, I just… I thought I was alone here is all." She said nervously.

I took a minute to respond, this having been the first person I had come into contact with since arriving in this strange place. "I… I just woke up here… you have any clue what's going on? Something about his place just… it seems… off." I said, my bashfulness kept me from forming words correctly, but thankfully I was at least able to squeeze out an important question.

The woman sighed, "Not even slightly, I just woke up here too, not a clue where I was or anything." She said, well that was no help at all, but it was so similar to my situation it caused for a bit of concern. However the mood shifted when the girl then extended a hand towards me, "Kate, Kate Peterson." She said, introducing herself.

I took Kate's hand, "Jason, Jason Allen." I introduced myself. I then heard something in the distance, it sounded like a vehicle almost, a soft rumbling that was growing louder by the second, Kate's face quickly drained of color, "The f**k is that thing?!" She said pointing behind me. I turned to see something very strange and terrifying barreling towards us.

It was a tank, but with a twist, it had some kind of reptilian monster's torso attached where it's gun barrel should have been, said reptilian body adorned with an almost comical amount of weapons and armor. It's "hands" where but metal claws, it's face hidden behind a metal helmet of some kind save for it's two red eyes. I suddenly felt Kate drag me behind a nearby rock as this metal monstrosity passed us by, it having apparently not seen me gawking at it like a dead fish.

Me and Kate just sat behind the rock, staring at that… thing… in terrified wonder. It seemed to be looking for something, turning a few rocks over with it's metal claws and frantically searching underneath for... something. Then, to both of our surprise, it spoke. "Dammit! I thought I heard voices over here!" It grunted in a raspy, gravely voice that resembled that of a stereotypical war general. Me and Kate dared not say a word, desperately not wanting whatever this thing was to find us.

However, to our horror, it turned it's head in our direction, it's face grew a wicked smirk upon seeing us, "AHA! Found you!" It said before turning it's tank lower half towards us. Me and Kate wasted no time in turning to run. "RUN ALL YA WANT! YOU CAN'T OUTRUN ME!" The creature bellowed in our direction.

Me and Kate kept up the pace as much as we could, "The hell is that thing?!" Screamed Kate as we rounded a corner.

I tried my best to keep up, but let's just say I wasn't exactly the most physically impressive guy out there. "What the hell makes you think I know?!" I cried back, suddenly a missile landed in our path, a small explosion knocking us both on our asses.

The tank monster drew in closer, a clear, manic grin on it's face. "The Digimon King is gonna to be very pleased when I bring him what's left of you two!" He said as he aimed one of his many guns in our direction.

Kate wasted no time in getting up, pulling me up with her, "MOVE!" she yelled before another rocket hit the dirt where we had once sat. Well this is turning out to be quite a splendid day isn't it? Being chased and hunted by a horrifying tank monstrosity that for some reason **really** wanted us dead!

The tank monster just growled, "So… is that it huh? Well… I guess it's time to bring out the BIG GUNS!" It said before shouting " _ **SILVER CANNON!**_ " Suddenly a rather large missile was rushing to make our acquaintance, worse yet it looked like it had a nuclear warhead on the end!

I was in full on panic mode now! Even if that thing missed us, there was no way in **hell** we'd survive the blast radius! What the hell is thing's PROBLEM?! Who the hell brings a goddamn **nuke** to a foot chase?! Kate yanked me behind a rock formation, allowing the nuclear warhead to zip right by us, well at least it wasn't heat seeking. We heard it hit a far off cliff side with a loud boom. "That thing just shot a f**king nuke at us!" I screamed.

Kate just shook her head, "It still missed." She pointed out. Yeah I can tell Kate, because I haven't been **disintegrated** yet! "But still, we need to shake this thing before it kills us." She added.

She was right, we couldn't keep running from this thing forever, it was going to get us with one of those missiles eventually, and since it was clearly not above using nukes against us, I didn't wanna risk spending more time being chased by it than I had to. I looked around in desperation, and found a rock formation that made a small pathway, I had an idea. "Follow me." I said before rushing towards it, Kate followed closely behind. I could hear the tank monster following us, to be honest he was **quite** loud.

Me and Kate made it through the small gap, I backed up before seeing the tank monster slow to a stop. "Oh you think you're cleaver huh human? You forget I still have GUNS!" He said aiming one of the Gatling guns on his back at us. " _ **BLAST GATLING!**_!"

Me and Kate took cover as the monster fired a ludicrous amount of bullets at us. The rocks around us began to be torn to shreds filling the air with sand and dust. But the the rocks we hid behind held together for some strange reason, deflecting every bullet that hit it's surface, as if these rocks were made specifically to protect us from these bullets. The shooting eventually stopped, and was followed by a disapproving roar from the tank monster. "FINE! You got away this time humans! But I'll be back! And next time, you won't be so lucky!" He said before he drove off to god knows where.

I breathed a sigh of relief, thank god it was over! "You okay over there?" I asked Kate, she gave me a nod and we both came out from our hiding spots, both amazed and relieved we had somehow managed to get out of that situation unscathed.

Kate looked around, "Good god! Look at all the damage that fella did here." She commented, the rock formations were in tatters, cracked and ruined by enough bullets to make Rambo blush. I didn't even want to try to imagine what would have became of us if we hadn't managed to find cover, I'd imagine we'd both just be red stains on the floor. Me and Kate climbed through the other rock archway and found ourselves on a hill overlooking the valley. But in the distance, we both saw something… ominous.

There was an encampment of some kind that much was obvious, but upon further inspection, it was clearly military, as it was surrounded by walls covered in barbwire, tiny figures I couldn't quite make out patrolled it's perimeters as others stood guard, it was clearly a place I would rather not venture into, but Kate had other plans. "Come on! there might be someone there who can help us!" She said, yeah that's a theory, or more likely, there will be more tank demons there! But she left me no time at all to object as she was already halfway there, god she's going to get me killed isn't she? I decided against my better judgment to follow her.

It didn't take long for us to reach it, and good lord, was it **not** what I expected, the place was crawling with weird looking creatures, some where in chains and mining for what I assumed to be materials. Each guarded by what appeared to be small dinosaurs in army gear, they each held an M-16 assault rifle in their claws, their skin was blue digital camo, they had bizarrely cute big yellow eyes, in stark contrast to their not so cute armor and weaponry. I then noticed the dino soldiers had a vacant look on their faces, almost like they were in a trance. It was unnerving to say the least, another feeling similar to the uncanny valley.

Me and Kate hid behind a mine cart, "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea..." she said, oh REALLY?! Ya think?! "We should get out of here before one of those dino things sees us, 'cause I don't know about you, but I'd rather **not** be shot." Kate added, glad we were on the same page. So we now had to figure out how to get out of here without attracting attention, we could have just headed back from where we came, but we had no clue if that tank monster would be there waiting for us or if one of the patrols we had somehow managed to dodge would make their rounds and spot us. So out of options, we decided we'd have to Solid Snake this thing and sneak through the compound.

Me and Kate silently moved through the camp, using mine carts and piles of ore to hide from sight. All the while I couldn't help but notice the creatures mining, they looked miserable to put it lightly, they were all dirty and groggy, some even in tears over their predicament. I couldn't help but feel bad for them, I'm sure none of them asked for this, but what could we do? We were just a comic geek and an Irish girl, and their captors had guns. All I could do was just keep moving forward and try to keep my head.

This wasn't helped when suddenly one of the creatures, a bird, passed right out, unable to keep up it's work load, two dino soldiers were on him in seconds, forcing him to his feet. "I… I'm sorry! I'm just so tired… I… I." The bird fumbled, clearly terrified as to what his captors would do to him for almost passing out on the job. It took all my self control not to cry out of make any sort of noise at the horrible images that began to flood my mind.

The dino soldier quickly drilled him with the butt of his rifle with a loud and sickening crack. "No excuses! Back to work!" He barked. The bird creature coughed and sputtered before slowly rising to his feet, staggering slightly from the hard blow to the back of his skull, before grabbing his pick axe and resuming his work as if nothing had happened.

I just shook my head, and kept moving, trying not to let what was happening around me get to me and failing miserably. It seemed everywhere we went we found more misery and suffering. Why the hell were we here anyway? Not in this camp but in this… world. It was clear by now me and Kate weren't in our own world anymore given the plethora of strange creatures we found ourselves surrounded by. It wasn't like either of us were equipped to handle… well… anything here really.

I found myself even more fearful of what might happen if even one of these gun totting dinosaurs found us, if they'd kill us or force us to join the other creatures in mining for… whatever it is they were mining for. Neither option seemed particularly appealing, my anxiety going into overdrive as horrible images of what could happen to us began to play uncontrollably in my mind, it took all my concentration to stop these horrific images from flooding my mind so I could stay focused on the task at hand.

Suddenly me and Kate found ourselves in the center of the camp, being mindful not to let ourselves be seen by anyone there. There was a large gathering of the dino soldiers, upon further inspection I saw they had another dino soldier clutched in their grasp like a prisoner. "Ma'am please! I… I just-" It began, a clear tinge of fear in his voice, I moved in for a better look, and found they were gathered around another figure.

It was human, that much was clear, female, she wore a black trench coat and big red and black goggles over her eyes. She didn't look much older than either me nor Kate. Behind her stood a six foot wolf like creature, he had jet black fur with white underbelly, paws, and muzzle. He wore two yellow gauntlets on his arms with black straps at the top. He just stood there, silent and motionless like a statue.

The woman snarled, "I don't care about your excuses! You let three slaves go! That's three workers worth of digiziod ore you let walk out! The King is very clear about how we deal with failures!" She barked. She then turned to the wolf creature, "Okamon, show him what happens to failures here." She ordered the creature, giving it a name.

Okamon said nothing, just moving towards the captured dino, the other two let him go and backed away. Before the poor thing could even think to run the wolf grabbed him by the arm. "NO! PLEASE! DON'T!" He begged, squirming and writhing, trying in desperation to break free as the wolf lifted him off his feet. It was then I noticed this one was showing much more emotion than the others, he didn't share the vacant stare the others did.

But before I could ponder this further, the wolf, in one swift motion, ripped his arm right off! Wires sparked and crackled as the wolf threw him violently to the ground, the dino screaming in horrible agony as the others just sat and stared blankly, not even so much as flinching as one of their own was maimed right in front of them. "You have no one to blame but yourself." The wolf said in a dark, gravely monotone before tossing his now severed arm in our direction, allowing us to see the sparking limb up close, before returning to his master's side.

The woman just stared blankly at the screaming creature without a hind of remorse in her face. "Take this as an example for those of you who defy the Digimon King! You Commandramon are to obey, or else **he** is what you will become." She said pointing to the fallen creature. "Dismissed." She then said, and obediently, the other creatures turned and left.

I just sat there with a million questions running through my head, who was that woman, how did she get command of these creatures? Oh god what would happen if she found us! But worse still, that creature was **still** screaming! He clutched the socket his arm used to be in and writhing on the floor.

Kate tugged on my arm, "Jason we need to keep moving, I don't want to be in this place any longer than I have to." She said to me, I agreed, and went to leave, but another howl of pain stopped me in my tracks, "WAIT!"

I turned to see the dino had spotted us, he looked at us, "H...help me… help me please!" He whimpered, I looked down to see his severed arm laying in front of me.

Kate tugged my arm, "Forget it! You saw what those things were doing! Besides we don't have time!" She told me, she had a point, these things were enslaving these creatures, did it really deserve my sympathy? But yet, I couldn't bring myself to just leave him, he looked so helpless, so afraid… what kind of monster would I be if I just left him to suffer like that? Even **if** he did help enslave those other creatures, no one deserves that kind of cruelty. So I picked the arm up off the ground. "The hell are you doing?!" Kate objected from behind me.

I said nothing, walking over to the injured creature, I had some tech know-how, but I doubted I could repair robotic dino soldiers. But I tried anyway, popping the arm back into it's socket, I suddenly felt a warmth in my pocket, confused I reached inside it and felt something small and plastic inside, I got it out to see some kind of device or something, it was white with red grips and buttons, a small LCD screen sat within a red ring, and a red strap came from the top of the device. The device came to life with one beep and shot a light at the robot dino, mending it's ripped and damaged wires, and repairing all the damage the wolf had done to it.

The dino moved his arm around, as if testing it to see if it worked again, he then looked to me, "Thank you." He said with a surprisingly warm smile, but it quickly faded, "But why though? Why would you help me? You don't even know me." He asked, he seemed genuinely confused, like he expected me to just leave him.

I cracked a small smile, "Cause you needed it, it wouldn't have been right to leave you like that." I answered. My mother had always said I was too kind for my own good, and one could argue the better option would have been to just leave, but I didn't have it in me to be cruel or cold like that.

The dino then stood up, and offered his claw for a handshake, "Commandramon, model C-3A." He introduced himself, the same term she had used to address the other dino soldiers, I guess they didn't have names of their own.

I took his hand, "Jason, Jason Allen." I introduced myself, shaking his hand. At least I knew what to call him now.

Kate cautiously approached, a bit weary of Commandramon. "So… dare I ask why that woman did that to you?" Kate asked, keeping a short distance between her and Commandramon.

Commandramon paused for a moment, "Three slaves escaped while I was on duty, The queen doesn't appreciate failures." He said, so she's their queen? Wow, ego much? I then remembered the message the computer had given me before I woke up here, how someone from our side had enslaved the digital world. Was if referring to her?

Kate shook her head, "Why is she enslaving these creatures? And why the hell would YOU help her?!" Kate said rather suddenly and with a strong accusatory tone.

Commandramon flinched a little at her outburst before responding, "I… I don't know… I… I never… I never questioned it until now… they were just… orders." He responded. He seemed genuinely lost and confused, how the hell it too **that** long to realize forcibly enslaving people was wrong I had no clue.

Kate crossed her arms, "You never questioned it?! HOW?! Look around you! How could you ever think any of this was right?!" She yelled, she was going to get us caught with this little outburst!

I had to stop this before we ended up dead! "KATE! Could you cool it down just a touch? Or do you **want** to get us all shot and killed?" I said, Kate went to argue back but realized I was right and sighed. I then turned towards Commandramon, "We need to get out of here, you know a way out?" I asked him, I doubted he was willing to help the Digimon Queen anymore given his rather unsubtle firing she just gave him.

Commandramon thought it over a moment before coming up with his response. "I might, but you two are going to need to remain hidden, the Digimon Queen doesn't take kindly to visitors." He said, he then got up and walked towards a stray mine cart, removing it's tarp, "In here, I'll wheel you two out without her or the others knowing you're inside." He said, it wasn't a bad plan all things considered, I doubted any of the Commandramon would question him wheeling a cart through the camp.

However, Kate was hesitant, "And how do we know we can trust you?" She said, I just rolled my eyes, considering they just tried to rip his arm off I don't think he's willing to work with her anymore! But I kept it to myself and just got into the cart. Kate relented and followed me inside, Commandramon putting the tarp back over us and began to push it along.

We were both in complete blackness, it was unsettling really, add the fact that the cart wasn't very big, meaning me and Kate were rather… close… to each other made it even more uncomfortable. "OW! Careful! That's my leg!" She said, I moved around to get myself off her. This was going to be a loooong trip wasn't it?

* * *

 **A/N- It looks like our heroes just made a new friend and are on their way to escaping this slave camp! But will they make it out alive? Or will the Digimon Queen catch them? Stay tuned!**

 **Okay, I'm going to have to address the elephant in the room, or rather… the wolf in the room.**

 **Okamon: Really? You went with that joke… wow.**

 **Dude shut up I'm talking to the audience here! I have to explain this to them so I don't get torn to shreds in the comments!**

 **Okamon: I'm Foowd's unoriginal Renamon OC he created during his awkward early days as a writer on DeviantArt, there I explained it! Can I leave now?**

 **Well I wouldn't have put it so… bluntly… but yes, that is basically the tl;dr version of it. Okamon is probably my longest surviving OC Digimon, and my only one. I suck at making up Digimon ok! Shut up and leave me alone!**

 **Okamon: Well while he's having a mental breakdown, I'll let you know he has pictures of me on his DeviantArt if you really want to see, I'd link but, Fanfiction doesn't like links so oh well, he still goes by Foowd on DeviantArt so** **it won't be that hard to find** **.** **You going to be okay?**

 **I just wanna be L** **OOOV** **ED! WAAAAAAHHH!**

 **Okamon: Yeah he'll be fine folks, don't worry.**

 **Update 10/13/17: I really need to proofread my stories, I did some rewriting in order to make the prose read better and flow more naturally.**

 **Update 11/9/17: Fixing some embarrassing typos I somehow missed during my last update, I'm great!**


	3. The Skater and the Tattoo Artist

**Chapter 3: The Skater and the Tattoo Artist**

* * *

 _ **London, Ontario, Canada- Late Afternoon**_

* * *

Another day, another time for my dad to get pissed at me for failing another test, which lead to another speech about how I never take things seriously enough and all that crap. Whatever, I decided to go out and skate around town to clear my head a little.

My name is Ethan Jacobs, local skate rat and straight C student, this was hardly the first time me and dad argued, if it wasn't my grades, it was my attitude, or me skating in non-skating zones. Our life had always been screwy since he and mom divorced. He ended up with me and mom got my sister. But I didn't want to focus on my messed up life right now, I wanted to escape…

Sometimes I wished I could just leave this damn town and get away from everyone. Just go somewhere and… escape. It's not that I hated my dad or even disliked him, it's just… a lot to deal with you know? But, right now, my only escape was skateboarding, I just kept riding through the streets, hitting a few fliptricks here and there. However suddenly someone got right in front of me causing me to collide with him and hit the floor.

"AGH! Dude! Watch where you're going!" I blurted out, the man in front of me looked like a hobo, his hair was a mess, and that Red Sox cap looked like it had seen better days. He just stared blankly at me from under those shades with tired, worn eyes before turning around and walking away, dropping something on the sidewalk. "Creep," I said before taking a look at what he had dropped.

It was a CD in a jewel case. "Digidestined" written on it in black sharpie. The hell was a "Digidestined" anyway? Whatever, I grabbed my board and went to leave but, I took another look at that CD, curiosity overcame me and I snatched it, must have been worth something if he was just carrying it around like that right?

So after that I decided to head back home, mostly because I was so curious as to what could have been on that disc. Maybe it was some kind of heist plan? Or a super virus he was experimenting on? Maybe it was a new PC game he was working on? Well whatever it was, I was going to find out. I rode up to my house, and picked my board off the ground. Hopefully dad wasn't still mad at me, I really didn't feel like fighting with him right now. I walked up to the door and opened it with a small click.

I saw my dad focused on his TV, thankfully he didn't seem to notice me come in as he just sat silently, watching some movie I didn't recognize. Taking this as a blessing I silently entered my room, shutting the door behind me. My room was still the mess it's always been, a mirror in the corner of the room let me get a good look at myself, my black hair was a mess of bangs hanging off to one side of my sweat covered forehead, it's medium length had the ends running down the back of my neck. I had a black Vans sweatshirt on, blue jeans, and black skater shoes.

I fished the disc out of my pocket and grabbed my Laptop, flopping onto the bed. With one simple button press the disc trey opened and I gingerly placed the disc in the trey before returning it to it's place inside the laptop.

A few whirs and clicks later an icon appeared on screen. "Click Me" read the icon, I knew alarms should have been blaring in my head. But I really couldn't bring myself not to click the icon. With a click the screen went black, "Sh**! Dude really?!" I blurted out, thinking this disc had just bricked my laptop. But then… text began to form like someone was typing.

" _Connection established/_

 _/ Welcome Ethan Jacobs to the DIGITAL WORLD_

 _/ Please enter "Yes" or "No" if you wish to know more."_

Okay, it knew my name… that's freaky… but also kinda cool! But what the hell was the "Digital World"? Curious, I typed "Yes" in the command prompt. More text appeared…

" _/ Thank you, Digidestined of Canada, you are but one of a chosen few that will save the Digital World from those who enslave it."_

There's that word again, "Digidestined", this has to be some kind of video game or something. I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointing, I had really thought for a second there I had found something supernatural or weird. I went to just turn it off, but then… the text continued.

"/ _You feel trapped in your world, don't you Ethan? You're a free spirit held down by the pressures of school and society, we've been watching you for a long time Ethan, and we can tell you wish for an escape. I believe we can help one another..._ _"_

Okay maybe I called this not being supernatural a little prematurely. How did it know any of this? And it was _watching_ me? Hi that's not creepy at all! I was beginning to get a little freaked I won't lie… the text went on.

" _/_ _The Digimon need your help Ethan, we too are held down by those who wish to keep us under their control. We can offer you the escape you desire, we only ask that in exchange, you help us escape our own tyranny. Do you accept?_

 _/ Type "Yes" or "No" to proceed..."_

I didn't even know what to think anymore, what the hell **is** this thing?! I wanted to just eject the disc and destroy it! This was freaky sh** here! But yet… That escape… I looked towards the door to my room, I was trapped in my life right now, between my dad, the divorce, school, everything just piled on top of me. I wanted at least just one fleeting moment of freedom… a chance to leave the stress of life behind. How the hell could I say no? All I had to do was what? Knock over a few suits? Break a cage or two? I couldn't type "yes" fast enough.

" _/ Thank you Ethan, we hope you find what you seek..."_

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Pins and Needles Tattoos- Norfolk England, UK- Noon**_

* * *

Another rainy, gloomy day, so another day in England really, "OW! Careful man! You're hurting me!" My current client, a young college girl who wanted a cute little flower on her shoulder. She'd been doing nothing but bloody complaining the second I began working on it.

"Tattoos hurt, just relax and try not to move so much ok?" I said, trying not to go off on her, if it wasn't whiny girls it was idiot dude bros who wanted Chinese characters despite not knowing a lick of Chinese, sometimes I let my cheeky side through and wrote something like "Picnic Table" on them for a laugh. Not like they'd ever know right? But I lived for this, marking people with my art, living canvasses for me to paint upon, people all to happy to allow my masterpieces mark their skin. It was worth dealing with the occasional idiot for.

"Hey Ross! How close are you to being done with her art?" One of my co-workers asked, Martin, a good kid, he had talent with a tattoo needle that was for sure, one of the few people in this world that didn't annoy me really...

I put a few finishing touches on the tattoo before responding, "Just needs coloring." I told him. "Why do you ask?" I added, curious as to why he'd interrupt me like this, it wasn't like him.

Martin pointed behind him, "Someone's here to see you, some creepy bloke in a coat, he says it's important." Martin explained "I can finish her up for you if you want?" He offered. With a groan I handed him the needle, who the hell would want to come see me? I didn't have much in the way of friends really, it had always been just me and the people I worked with…

I came to the front to see the man in question, he looked like a tramp with his scraggly beard and worn cap, his face was filthy, even his beard had a disgusting quality to it. Two sunglasses hid his eyes. "Who the hell are you anyway?! I was in the middle of doing art when you bloody came in here! So you'd better tell me what you want before I throw you out!" I couldn't help but yell at the tramp, but he didn't show any signs of being startled or even slightly annoyed.

He just stood there, still as a statue, calm and almost withdrawn, like he wasn't even all there… He then reached into his pocket and handed me some kind of disc. "Take it…" he told me in an American accent. Not wanting to risk being assaulted by a tramp I took the disc, satisfied, he left without a word.

I took a closer look at the disc, a CD-R with "Digidestined" written on it with marker. I saw Martin come to the front, having finished with the client, "So… who was it anyway?" He asked me.

I shook my head, "Some freak, I've never even seen the guy before." I told him, I then showed him the disc, "And he gave me this, who knows what for." I added. Martin snatched it from my hands and examined it for a moment.

He then handed it back to me, "Beats me man, it was probably just some loon. I'd just throw that disc away if I were you, lord knows what's on it." He warned me.

After work I took a long walk to my flat, it was your typical dingy building, but it was cheap and on a budget like mine it needed to be. With one turn of a key I entered the flat I had called home since I was eighteen. The home had a silence to it, a silence I usually welcomed being a loner by nature, sometimes it did get to me, how alone I was… but alone is how I thrived… other people usually just… complicate things.

I decided to take a moment to dry myself off in the bathroom, getting a good look at myself in the mirror, my hair was a dark brown, long ponytail that clung to me from the rain, my arms were covered in tattoos I had collected over the years, the ones on my chest and back were covered by a black sleeveless t-shirt. Two ice blue eyes stared back at me in the mirror.

I then removed the disc from my pocket, it's case glistening slightly in the light of the bathroom. I probably should listen to Martin and just bin the thing, but a part of me was curious as to what it was and why the tramp wanted me to have it so badly. I took the disc to the living room and sat at my laptop, I opened the trey and put it in. A few moments of loading and suddenly an icon appeared asking me to click it. I played along before the screen went black and soon text began to appear.

" _Connection established/_

 _/ Welcome Ross Beck to the DIGITAL WORLD_

 _/ Please enter "Yes" or "No" if you wish to know more."_

It knew my name? It probably just got it off files from my computer, I swear if that freak just came to my shop to give me his stupid PC game I'm going to hunt him down and kick his ass! I typed "Yes" to see if I could confirm this or not.

" _/ Thank you, Digidestined of_ _England_ _,_ _you are but one of a chosen few that will save the Digital World from those who enslave it."_

Yup this was just a bloody computer game! Unbelievable! I don't know exactly what else I expected, a virus perhaps? I went to eject the disc, but nothing happened, I kept pressing the eject button but the trey just wouldn't come. "Dammit! Bloody thing is stuck isn't it?" I groaned. However, then I noticed there was text on the screen, text that wasn't there before.

" _/ ERROR! Cannot remove disc!_

 _/You can't lock yourself away forever Ross._

The f*** was this thing on about?! I just stood there staring at it in a mix of anger and disbelief. _"Locking myself away"_? The hell did it mean by that?! But the text wasn't done yet...

" _/ We know you Ross, we know you've hidden yourself from others, alone is how you thrive right? But deep down… you long for companionship don't you? Alone is never how anyone should go through life Mr. Beck."_

This was beginning to creep me out now, how the hell did this disc know any of this? This tramp's given me a haunted disc!

" _/ We offer you a chance to break free Ross, to escape and finally connect with someone. All we ask for in return is you help us break free, we are enslaved Ross, help us… and by doing so help yourself…_

 _/ Type "Yes" or "No" to proceed..."_

I couldn't even begin to describe what was going though my head right now, a whirlwind of emotions spun around in a furious storm, but when it settled, I couldn't deny that… whatever it was that I spoke with was right… I had closed myself off for so long… so afraid of being betrayed again… it all just collapsed in on me right then and there… all the loneliness that had collected and festered just burst open like a balloon. I buried my face in the palms of my hands before deciding to type my response.

" _/ Thank You Ross, we hope you find what you seek..."_

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Unknown Place- Unknown Time**_

* * *

Ow… god I felt like I just had the nastiest wipe out of all time, my back was killing me, I opened my eyes to see I was in a desert or something. But something seemed, off about it… I couldn't quite place it but there was something that didn't quite feel right. Before I could even process any of it though, I felt someone grab me by the arm rather violently. "HEY! I GOT ONE!" A voice said, I heard more footsteps as more figures began to surround me.

I looked over to my right to be met with quite the sight! What I saw was some kind of lizard or dinosaur in military gear, the others where also dino soldiers, just what in the hell is going on here? Did I interrupt a convention or something? Another one of the soldiers grabbed me by the other arm, keeping me in place. "DUDE! Let me go! What the hell is you're problem?! HELP!" I cried.

Suddenly another figure approached, he was a lot taller than his compatriots, like by several centimeters! About the size of a full grown adult man if I were to hazard a guess. He wore forest green armor from head to toe, his face covered by metal face armor and a pair of thick goggles, one lens being small and red, the other much larger and bright blue. He had a combat knife in one of his hands which he twirled around with surprising ease. His body language told me he was quite calm, almost arrogant. I felt his eyes watching me from under that helmet of his. "Well well well, what have we here?" He said as he drew in.

One of the dino soldiers spoke up, "We found him on the ground over there Commander Sealsdramon!" He said, giving the new figure a name, Sealsdramon just sort of studied me for a moment, almost sort of sizing me up, despite not having any visible eyes, I could still feel them staring at me, scanning up and down my body.

He then quickly brought his knife up to my neck, "The Queen will have a **lot** to discuss with **you** human..." He threatened me. I was trying my best not to panic, but I was in over my head right now, I had no clue who or what these things were, or why they were so quick to threaten me like this, but I knew when I was in trouble, and boy… was I ever in trouble. He then removed the knife and placed it in it's sheath. "Take him to the mining camp! I'll notify the Queen we've captured an interloper!" He ordered before turning to leave.

The dino soldiers then began to force me to walk, one even pressing the barrel of his rifle against my back to make sure I didn't try to run. So much for my escape right? I think I was better off back home, at least dad wouldn't threaten to shoot me…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

F**k… I felt like I had just gotten over a massive hangover… the hell even happened? I opened my eyes to find myself in some kind of grass hut. "The hell?" I questioned as I sat up. I got a better look at my surroundings, I was in some kind of makeshift straw bed, the hut was rather small, I doubted anyone could live very comfortably in such a small place… it made my flat look like a mansion by comparison.

Suddenly I heard the flapping of wings before the leaves at the front of the hut opened, and in walked something I really didn't expect. He was some kind of large bird, about the size of a six year old child, his head was white and large, with red markings on his face that almost looked like war paint. His head had a leather belt strapped around it like a headband, with a large red and yellow feather placed at the very back. His eyes were huge, and blue. His lower body was red with yellow feet that ended in three white claws each. His wings had three black tips almost like claws.

The creature wore a kind expression, a smile across his beak, he seemed to be holding a trey in his hands, or wings rather, on it a bowl of some kind with steam pouring out signaling that whatever was inside was rather hot. He placed it gently by my side, "Good to see you're finally awake, I was beginning to think I brought you here for nothing." He said, speaking in a posh accent, I couldn't find it in myself to respond, too shocked at what I was seeing before me, a talking bird creature. Said bird creature handed me the bowl, "Here, a little something to help perk you up a little." He said.

Not wanting to seem rude I took it, I think I could use a little drink just to help me process all this madness. I took a large gulp, it was tea, I was never much of a tea drinker really, but quite frankly, I could do with just about anything right now. "Thank you." I said finally, placing the bowl in front of me.

The bird nodded, sitting down in front of me, "So… if you don't mind me asking." The bird began, "What is a human like you doing in the Digital World?" He asked, never losing his kind expression, he didn't seem worried or angry at all, he asked it more like how one would ask someone how the weather was.

I didn't really have much of an answer for him, I myself had no clue where I even was, much less how I got here. "I… I don't know… I don't know where I even am anymore!" I said, still trying in vain to process this maddening situation I somehow now found myself in.

The bird nodded, "I see, I guess I should have known better than to think you would, you must be very confused right now, in your position I would be too." He said, putting his feathers against my forehead, like a fussy mom checking my temperature. "For what it's worth, you don't seem that much worse for ware." He said.

I took another look around me, I felt like I was going insane! I was in a grass hut talking to a bird for god sake! Most people would have been sent to the loony bin for even imagining such a thing, let alone experiencing it. I looked back to the creature, "What is going on here? Where the hell am I? What **are** you?" I asked point blank, not really caring if I offended him or not, I wanted answers before I went mad! That is, if I hadn't already.

The bird blinked, "Oh! How rude of me, I am Hawkmon, a Digimon," He introduced himself. At least he had a name now, a rather bizarre one though, I had no clue what a Digimon was either, but I had a feeling I'd find out soon enough…

I took another sip of tea before responding, my hands shaking slightly from the mountainous amounts of stress I was experiencing right now. "Ross, Ross Beck." I introduced myself. I felt I needed to ask the more important question here, "How did I get here? In this hut I mean? Did… you bring me here?" I asked.

Hawkmon let a small giggle escape his beak before replying, "Yes, I was out looking for berries when I stumbled upon you, the Data Forest isn't the safest place to take a nap, so I brought you here! It wasn't easy though, you are **quite** heavy I must say," He explained, that figures, he just happened to find me passed out in the forest and dragged me back here for god knows what reason. And I wasn't going to try to take the comment of me being heavy in offense. "And to answer an earlier question, you're in the Data Forest village, a part of the Wind Guardians territories." He explained.

He threw out these terms like I was supposed to know what they were, like he was forgetting he was talking to an outsider, "Wind… Guardians?" I asked, hoping he'd understand I didn't know what that meant.

Hawkmon sort of stared before realizing why I asked, "Oh right! You're not from the Digital World, you wouldn't know, let's see… how to explain this..." He began to puzzle, inquisitively rubbing his feathers against his chin. "Well… we Digimon are separated into different groups or families, mine is The Wind Guardians, each group has it's own territory in the Digital World it governs… or used to in some cases," He explained, growing slightly sadder during the last bit.

Curious, I couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by, "used to"?" I asked, I didn't know if I was getting into a subject I really shouldn't have, worried I might offend him or worse open up an old wound he might have.

Hawkmon sighed, "Some territories have fallen to the Digimon King, no one really knows who or what he is, but he just sort of appeared suddenly and began conquering different regions of the Digital World, some groups even joined him willingly, others weren't given a choice. He now commands are giant army of powerful Digimon, any who dared defy him wound up either enslaved, or dead," He explained.

Something about Hawkmon's body language told me he was quite afraid of this Digimon King. He sort of shrunk inward when describing him, I would have asked him why, but I doubted it was something he wanted to discuss. "Sounds like a real bastard." I commented.

Hawkmon just sort of stared for a moment before responding, "He's why you're here right? You're here to help us stop him right?" He asked me suddenly, how the hell do I respond to that? I didn't know anything at all about any of this!

I just shook my head, "I really don't know." I said simply, even if I did, I doubted I could do much, I was just a tattoo artist from Norfolk! Not exactly the world saving type if you catch my drift.

But Hawkmon seemed to think differently, "Well why else would you be here? Humans aren't exactly common here, and legend has it when a human is summoned to the Digital World, it's because they're here to save it from something." He said, his tone quite hopeful.

I decided not to say anything, I could tell he was trying to cling to any hope he could and didn't have it in me to dash it.

 _ **BOOM!**_

Well that didn't sound good! Hawkmon said nothing and just rushed out of the hut, against my better judgment I followed him out to see that what I assumed used to be another hut was now a smoldering crater with a burning bit of bamboo sticking out the ground. I turned my head to see an army of creatures heading right for us. "Don't tell me..." I began.

Hawkmon gulped, "The Digimon King's army." He informed me, well ain't that a kick in the teeth? The other creatures that lived in the village began to pour out of their huts, and froze in place when they saw who was approaching.

When they got closer, I saw that the "army" was a collection of bizarre and creepy looking creatures, lead by what looked like a maroon goblin of some kind. He wore a yellow tiger print lion cloth with a matching wrist band on one of his hideously deformed arms. He held a giant bone with spikes sticking out of it, his face was hideous, permanently stuck in a manic grin, scraggly white hair poured out the back of his deformed head. The creature marveled at his handy work, "Ah… it's sure is a great day for some destruction, isn't it?" He commented.

He then looked in my direction, "And what have we here? A human!" He said, laughing, "The King's gonna love it when I bring him your head pretty boy!" He added. I just stood there, I still had no clue what was going on, but I now had this… thing's attention, and I think it was quite clear what his intentions where…

* * *

 **A/N- Oh NO! It seems Ross and Ethan have both found themselves in trouble with the Digimon King! Will they make it out? Or will they both find themselves the Digimon King's latest victims? Stay tuned!**

 **11/3/17: Fixing up the prose, and a few typos, hopefully making the story flow better.**


	4. The Digidestined

**Chapter 4: The Digidestined**

* * *

 _ **Mining Camp- Noon**_

* * *

The dino soldiers brought me to their mining camp, or rather slave camp more accurately, since that's exactly what it was! Various weird creatures of differing shapes and sizes were picking away at rocks, each with a dino soldier to make sure they got their job done. I had a sinking feeling I'd be joining them soon.

The soldiers lead me to a wooden pole stuck to the ground, "Back against the pole! NOW!" One of them ordered me, aiming his rifle at my head, letting me know exactly what would happen if I didn't comply. So I did as he asked, his two buddies quickly tied my arms behind it. "You'll stay **here** until the queen comes, she will choose what to do with you then." The soldier told me before he and his buddies walked off.

I leaned the back of my head against the pole and cursed so loudly I could hear a slight echo. I should have never listened to that stupid disc! Now I was a captive in a slave camp! Waiting for their queen to decided what she wanted to do with me. God this sucks!

"They got you too huh?"

I turned my head to see someone was tied next to me, it was what could only be described as a blue dog creature, he was blue all over aside from his white belly, muzzle, toes, and the tip of his curled tail, he wore a bright read headband on his rather large head, his ears drooped forward, his eyes were large and yellow, and he wore two large red boxing gloves on his hands which, like mine, where tied behind the wooden pole that kept him in place.

His gaze was fixed on me, "If you're lucky, they'll let you live, mining Digizoid for their factories..." He explained, "If not, they'll just outright kill you," He added, I didn't know which I liked less, on one hand I wasn't in a hurry to die just yet, but on the other, I didn't want to spend the rest of my life mining Digizoid, whatever the hell that was, can I pick from what's behind door number three instead? Because doors one and two are not exactly very... inviting.

I rolled my eyes, "Do you have any **good** news for me? Cause I won't lie, you're kinda bumming me out here." I commented, trying to use snark to hide the fact I was absolutely terrified right now.

However the dog simply sighed, "Afraid not, sorry," He said, well at least he was honest. He then turned to me again, "Never thought I'd see a human here though, what's your story?" He asked me.

I blinked before responding, "Found a disc on the ground, woke up in this weird ass place, got captured by dino foot soldiers, you know… that kind of day." I said with a hint of sarcasm. "And you?" I added, I couldn't lie, having someone to talk to was helping me to stay calm, I guess my brain needed the distraction.

The dog sighed, "Tried to free some of my friends from the village, got caught," He explained. He then turned to me again, "So… what's your name kid?" He asked me.

"Ethan, Ethan Jacobs." I introduced myself. "Gaomon." The dog replied back. Gaomon? I should have figured people in this weird ass world would have weird ass names.

Me and Gaomon just sorta sat there for what felt like forever, both of us knew just how screwed we were. I had no clue how I was getting out of this one, if I even could. I felt so powerless… I leaned backwards to look up at the sky, it was a bright shade of orange, as if it were sunset… it was quite beautiful actually… a stark contrast to the decidedly not beautiful situation I currently found myself in.

 _ **SNAP!**_

I suddenly found myself falling backwards, hitting the dirt below with a thud. I craned my head upwards to see the pole I was tied to had, for whatever reason, snapped in two. I was free! Gaomon seemed just as shocked as I was given his expression. "Ethan! Come over here, back facing me." He instructed me.

I complied, getting up while still tied to the bit of pole that had come with me when it snapped was quite hard to put it bluntly, but I managed it, I moved myself in front of Gaomon, I then felt his wet nose on my palm, what the hell is he doing? I turned my head to see he was gnawing at the rope that held my arms in place. With one loud snap my hands were free and the broken pole fell to the ground.

No sooner had this happened then I heard a voice come from the distance, "You hear that?" it said, "We'd better check it out." Another replied.

Gaomon quickly turned his head in my direction, "The Commandramon! They must of heard the pole snap! You'd better get going before they come back!" He told me.

I won't lie, I considered doing just that, running as fast as my legs could carry me, leaving this damn place in my dust. But I couldn't just leave Gaomon here! Who knows what they'd do to him if they found out I got away!

So I quickly went to work on the rope that held him there, "What are you doing?! Forget about me! RUN!" He objected, I just kept working on the knot, these soldier things, I tell you they are **good** at tying knots!

Just then, two all too familiar dino soldiers came onto the scene. "HEY! How the hell did he get loose?! STOP HIM!" He barked before the two rushed in our direction.

Gaomon turned his head towards me, "DAMMIT KID LISTEN TO ME! Save yourself! I'll be fine!" He yelled at me, desperation in his voice. I could tell he really wanted me to just leave him, and in retrospect I probably should, but I almost had the knot done, and well, if I got this far, might as well finish.

I finally managed to get the rope off him, Gaomon was free, he shot me an annoyed look before the two soldiers closed in, rifles aimed at us, "You two aren't going anywhere! Surrender now!" One barked at us.

Gaomon raised his two gloved fists, "Stand back, I'll handle this." He told me, uh dude… they have guns! You have fists! With **gloves** on them no less! But then again, it's not like I had anything either…

Gaomon then spread his arms wide, turning his torso slightly, " _ **DOUBLE BACKHAND!**_ " He shouted, he suddenly began to spin around, fists extended, knocking both soldiers on their asses, their guns clacking as they hit the ground.

One got to his feet and aimed his gun right at him, _**"M-16 ASSASSIN!"**_ He shouted before a laser beam shot out in Gaomon's direction. Gaomon quickly rolled out of the way, the bullets tearing the wooden pole that once held Gaomon in place to shreds

The other soldier didn't even bother picking his gun back up and just rushed Gaomon, throwing a few punches at him but Gaomon dodged each one before throwing a few of his own, hitting the soldier each time, knocking him down with a huge uppercut to the jaw. The Soldier was out cold.

I just stood there like an idiot, not sure what to do, then suddenly I heard yelling, and turned a fraction of a second too late to see the other soldier had decided to rush me, he hit me like a linebacker knocking me to the ground, he was surprisingly strong for something his size! As he had little trouble overpowering me and keeping me on the floor, "Your little escape ends NOW!" He snarled at me before aiming his own gun right at my face, the barrel placed firmly on the center of my forehead.

My eyes widened, and I thought my situation was bad before! I was one squeeze of the trigger away from being a corpse. I winced as I awaited the inevitable… but then.

" _ **ROLLING UPPER!**_ "

The Soldier found himself hit with a flying uppercut that would make Ryu from Street Fighter blush! The soldier found himself sailing into a nearby mine cart, hitting it head first, knocking him out.

I turned to see Gaomon offering his hand. I took it and he helped me back to my feet. "Why did you free me? Those Commandramon could have killed you and you still freed me, why?" He asked me, he seemed genuinely confused, like I wasn't supposed to have done what I did or something.

I dusted myself off before replying. "What? And just leave you there to suffer whatever wrath those dudes would have inflicted on you? Yeah right..." I said.

Gaomon let a small chuckle out, "I guess I owe you then, come on, we should get going before more come." He told me. No arguments here, I wanted out of this nuthouse as fast as possible…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Kate had been in this cart for what's felt like hours, the unnerving uncertainty was driving me mad, and I doubted Kate felt much differently. But we had no other options really, we had to trust that Commandramon would help get us out of here.

"HALT!"

Crap! I think Commandramon just got caught, me and Kate both froze in fear and we listened carefully to what was happening. "Can I help you?" I heard Commandramon say to what I assumed was another Commandramon.

"What are you doing with that cart? Moving carts is the prisoner's job!" The other Commandramon said, well this was good right? It meant he didn't suspect we were under here at least… right?

Commandramon paused for a moment, possibly thinking up an excuse, "The prisoner passed out, don't want it to effect productivity so I decided to do it myself." He lied. God I really hope against all hope the other Commandramon buys it.

"Forget it, we have a problem, Commandramon B-10 and E-30 both went silent, I think we might have a breakout on our hands." The other Commandramon said.

Another breakout? I guess some of the other prisoners decided to tell them exactly how they felt about doing their slave work, god sometimes I wish I could have done the same to my boss back home… but this was bad, he was going to want Commandramon to come with him to stop the breakout. Leaving **us** stuck in a cart in god knows where, alone!

"I'm sure it's just a malfunction, all this dust around here, it messes with our systems sometimes." Commandramon suggested, I could tell even from here he was getting nervous, he knew if this went on any longer we'd all be dead.

I suddenly heard the sounds of metal hands slamming against the cart, "You know the rules! If we have even the slightest feeling there's a breakout, we **have** to investigate! I find your behavior very suspect soldier! What's you're ID number? I think it's you who might have the "malfunction"." Said the other Commandramon, he was clearly getting impatient, and worse he asked for his ID number, Commandramon was basically rouge at this point, which means his ID number would give him, and by extension **us** away.

There was a rather maddening moment of silence between the two Commandramon, every ticking second wore more and more on my sanity, before we suddenly heard gunshots! Kate let out a small curse and we both hunkered down. Someone shot someone here, and we had no clue who it was. The tarp covering the cart was then moved, revealing the face of one of the Commandramon, god I couldn't tell if it was the friendly one or not!

The dino then spoke, "We have to get moving, it won't be long before they notice Commandramon A-23 is offline and come to investigate." He told us, we both sighed in relief knowing it was the friendly one. He then closed the tarp and began moving it again.

Kate then looked to me, "I can't believe he did that," She whispered to me, "He just… shot him… evil or not, they used to work together… doesn't that bother you?" She elaborated.

Thinking about it, it was rather cold how Commandramon handled that, just up and killed him right there. But he didn't have much of a choice there, it was either that or let him discover us.

"I did what I had to, please try to remain quiet, I don't want them discovering you two," Commandramon suddenly said. I guess he heard her, we both sort of silently agreed to drop the subject for now, until we got free and clear from this death trap.

I then decided to fish out the device from earlier again, it's screen illuminating the inside of the cart in a teal hue, I could see Kate's face as she moved in closer, "What is that thing?" She whispered to me.

I shrugged, "No idea, I've never seen it before in my life." I replied, the thing was a mystery and a half I'll tell you that much. I messed with it a little, hoping I'd find some answers as to what it was, anything to get my mind off of my current predicament. The screen displayed three options:

 _ **Data Scan**_

 _ **Digivolve**_

 _ **Digimon Partner**_

Two out of three of those words were alien to me, Digivolve and Digimon, I heard the term Digimon thrown around a few times by the Commandramon, what "Partner" meant in this context I had no clue, but Digivolve was completely new. I clicked the "Digivolve" Option in hopes it would help unravel the mystery, but instead it just told me it was unavailable right now.

So I clicked on the next option down, "Digimon Partner", it brought up a stat screen for Commandramon surprisingly;

 _ **Commandramon**_

 _ **Level: Rookie**_

 _ **Type: Cyborg**_

 _ **Attribute: Virus**_

 _ **Family: Metal Empire**_

 _ **Attacks: M-16 Assassin, DCD Bomb**_

 _ **Commandramon are low-level infantry soldiers for the mechanized "D-Brigade", a special security force made for the Metal Empire in order to protect it's borders from intruders and enemies. They are typically ruthless but efficient, and are found all over the metal empire's territories performing their duties to keep it safe. As long as you don't threaten their empire, they will not harm you.**_

It was a complete bio of Commandramon, but the little bio blurb at the bottom intrigued me, it didn't fit with what I'd seen of them, it looked more to me that Commandramon were the foot soldiers of the Digimon King's army, not protectors of territories, and the part about them "not harming you unless you threaten their empire" was a complete joke, I doubted that bird thing I saw them beat up earlier threatened their "empire" even once. I don't think I've ever heard any of them mention a "Metal Empire" either… I'll have to ask him about it after we're out of here.

But… that also left the question as to why it was here, under "Digimon Partner" of all things? Somehow, I felt like I'd get my answer soon enough…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Gaomon had to be very careful moving through the camp, it was absolutely **crawling** with Commandramon. And worse they were on high alert now, no doubt because of the ass kicking Gaomon laid on two of their buddies back there. Me and Gaomon hid behind a mine cart as I looked at them all, "Where does this "Digimon King" guy get all these guys? Is there a website or something?" I commented.

The amount of soldiers here was downright comical, it was like a sea of blue digital camo! "They're manufactured, each one of them was created specifically to serve the Digimon King's armies." Gaomon explained.

I looked back to Gaomon. "Manufactured? You mean they're like, robots or something?" I couldn't help but ask. Come to think of it, getting a better look at them, they did kinda have a robotic look to them.

Gaomon nodded, "They're cooked up in Datamon's factory and shipped out all over the Digital World to serve as the Digimon King's foot soldiers." Gaomon said with a hint of disgust in his voice. "We should get moving, we both need to get out of here before things turn bad." Gaomon added, I nodded and we both silently left our hiding spot.

 _ **BUDDA BUDDA!**_

Me and Gaomon both jumped at the sound of gunfire, it sounded distant though, so whoever was firing was not firing at us thank god. But I couldn't help but feel bad for whatever poor soul just got pumped full of lead. Me and Gaomon returned to our search for a way out of the camp, we then stopped at another cart, Gaomon putting a hand up to signal me not to move. "Look! Over there!" He said, pointing at whatever it was he wanted me to see.

I looked to see one of the Commandramon pushing a mine cart, I was confused, and even began to think he was pointing at something else but, "Commandramon never push the carts themselves, they usually have the prisoners do it." He added, and this was important to us… why exactly?

I shook my head, "So he decided to do it himself! What's it matter to us?" I asked him, Gaomon didn't seem to appreciate my tone given the annoyed look he gave me, but it was a legit question.

He then sniffed at the air, it took me a minute to realize he was trying to pick up a scent, I forgot for a minute he was a dog. He then turned to me, "I smell two humans in that cart." He told me, " **That** , is why it matters to us!" He added, okay I get it dude, you don't need to be an ass about it! Geeze…

But that brought forth the question, **why** was he pushing two humans in the cart? I guess he found them in there and decided to just wheel them to his boss like groceries in a shopping cart. Made me wonder why the dudes inside didn't even try to rip that tarp off and run for the hills then, I guess they were afraid they'd get shot or something, maybe that's why we heard gunshots earlier, he was probably firing warning shots at them or something.

Suddenly Gaomon moved ahead of me, "We have to do something, those humans have no idea what they're in for!" Gaomon said, and before I could even respond he rushed the Commandramon, catching him off guard with a mean right hook.

The Commandramon yelped in surprise before hitting the dirt, Gaomon then hopped on top of him, pinning his arms to the floor. "Ethan! Get the humans out of the cart! HURRY!" Gaomon shouted back to me.

Without a second thought I went to do just that, I ran right up to the tarp, "Wait! DON'T! You don't understand!" The Commandramon said, now even more desperate to get Gaomon off of him, I ripped the tarp right off…

Only to be met with a hard right hook…

After shaking the punch I looked up to see a red headed woman standing over me. "ASSHOLE! You're gonna get us killed!" She barked at me in an Irish accent. Suddenly a blonde guy came running up behind her, he seemed to be too confused to speak.

The Commandramon then threw Gaomon off of him, "You idiot! I was trying to get them out!" The Commandramon yelled, quite angry at me, I was so lost right now… what the hell is even happening.

I picked myself off the ground, "But the… the Commandramon… I thought they were… ya know… evil and stuff." I said, fumbling my words, both the red head and the Commandramon were livid, I could tell by their faces alone.

But the blonde guy just walked over to me, "I see what's happening here." He began, "You thought he captured us didn't you?" He asked me, I gave him a nod, "Yeah, it was just a misunderstanding was all." the blonde guy said to red head and the Commandramon.

Gaomon then interjected, "Misunderstanding my ASS!" He yelled, slightly growling, "These Commandramon are nothing but souless monsters! They don't care about anything but their mission! They don't know how to help, only how to hurt and destroy!" Gaomon accused, shooting a dirty look at the Commandramon.

The Blonde guy didn't take too kindly to that remark, "Hey! Back off man! He's been hurt by the Digimon Queen just like everyone else!" He yelled, standing between Gaomon and the Commandramon.

Gaomon however, didn't back down, "You're a human! You don't know **anything** about this world, nor what these… monsters have done to us! I've seen these things kill defenseless baby Digimon without so much as a hint of remorse! You expect me to believe this one suddenly grew a conscience?!" He yelled back.

The Commandramon just stood there, still as stone as Gaomon made these rather harsh remarks. But his eyes sort of gave away how he felt, he was clearly bothered by what Gaomon was saying, but didn't seem to want to show it. "Dude, Gaomon it's cool, back off man." I said, trying to diffuse the situation.

This however, only seemed to make him even angrier! "NO! You haven't seen them do the things I've seen them do! Why the hell should I trust one of these soulless monsters?!" Gaoman yelled, he then turned to the blonde guy, "Why the hell are you so trusting of this thing?! Are you just an idiot? Or gullible?" He barked at him.

The guy clenched his fists, for a moment I thought he was about to deck Gaomon, but instead produced some kind of plastic gizmo out of his pocket, "Because he's my Digimon Partner alright!" He yelled, all of us recoiled in shock, even the Commandramon did, to be honest I don't think even the blonde guy knew what "Digimon Partner" meant. "I'm not sure what it means exactly..." He said, yup called it, "But it means **something** , and quite frankly, I didn't fix his arm just so he could be chewed out by a little blue dog!" He added.

The red head then put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on Jason, let's get out of here." She told him, giving the blonde guy a name, Jason. The red head then turned to me, "You and your dog should come along, we stand a better chance together than apart." She told me.

Gaomon grabbed my arm, and shook his head, silently telling me we couldn't trust them. God even after **that** he still wanted to be paranoid about the Commandramon. I weighed my options, I could either A) Listen to Gaomon and go on my own, or B) Stick with a group and have better chances of survival. I think the choice was pretty clear. "Alright, but if we're gonna move we'd better move now, no way those Commandramon didn't hear that argument." I said, I reluctantly glanced at Gaomon, yeah he was pissed, but strangely he didn't object, at least not out loud, but I had a sinking feeling I was going to get an earful from him later.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Data Forest Village**_

* * *

Dammit all!, it didn't take the King's armies long to tear this place apart now did it? The Ogre thing, which I learned from Hawkmon was named "Fugamon", had his little friends blowing apart huts and Digimon alike within seconds. All I could do was run and hide, useless as I'd always been. "Sh**! How the hell do I get myself into these messes?!" I asked myself, I was panicking, my heart racing a mile a minute. Everything around me was pure madness! It was a like a warzone, only one side was doing all the fighting while the other just ran around trying not to die!

I then heard an all too familiar voice cry out in pain, it took all of my will to look out from my hiding spot to see what I had feared, Fugamon had Hawkmon by the throat, Hawkmon uselessly trying to squirm free of the monster's grasp. Fugamon just laughed as he began to squeeze the life out of the poor thing.

I wanted to run, go as fast as my legs could carry me and save myself, but… Hawkmon… after all he did for me… he took me in despite not knowing me from a hole in the wall, how could I just leave him? I'd be… just like him…

I searched around to see if I could find anything to use, a broken bit of bamboo, broken in such a way that it was razor sharp at the tip. I took it, and rushed Fugamon. With one swift movement I jammed the stick right into his neck. Fugamon roared in pain, dropping Hawkmon as he tried to get the bamboo stick out of his neck. I then felt something warm in my pocket, confused I reached in and pulled out some kind of device or toy, it was white with black grips and buttons. "The hell?" I questioned out loud.

But the angry roar of Fugamon interrupted that little moment of confusion. He seemed absolutely livid, "You little PUNK!" He snarled at me, "You think you can fight me human?! COME ON! I'll snap you like a twig!" He challenged me, He then hoisted his bone up high, I couldn't even react before he hit me flush in the head.

I fell to the ground, my head spinning from the impact. I couldn't even tell up from down. God I might have even gotten a concussion from that blow! I managed to pull myself together to see Fugamon standing over me, "You shoulda stayed out of it human, you mighta lived a longer life!" He said before readying for the final blow.

" _ **FEATHER STRIKE!**_ "

Suddenly Fugamon was hit flush by some kind of object that moved too fast for me to see what it was, just a blur of red and yellow, I looked behind me to see the object return to Hawkmon, revealing it was the feather on his headband that was thrown as it clicked back into it's place. Hawkmon wasted no time in rushing to my side, noticing how… out of it, I was. "Ross? Are you okay?" He asked me, looking me over.

I couldn't lie, my head was still reeling from the blow, I could almost hear a ringing in my head, and thinking was quite difficult. "I… I took a nasty hit but… I think I'll be alright." I said, but then I saw Hawkmon look up, he then moved to my side, I managed to turn my head to see Fugamon was back to his feet.

He glared at Hawkmon, "You little sh**! I'm gonna make you regret that for the rest of your life, which won't be very long..." He said, charging Hawkmon.

However before he could reach us, "FEATHER STRIKE!", a feather soon found itself lodged right into his forehead like a throwing dart, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell dead onto the dirt with a loud thud. The other dark Digimon all stopped what they were doing to see their captain killed by a tiny bird of all things. There was an almost uncomfortable silence, everyone just stood there, speechless. Fugamon's body then began to break apart into tiny pixles, that flew into the air like dust.

The feather then returned to it's place on top of Hawkmon's head, the other Digimon Fugamon had brought began to flee, not wanting to share their former leader's fate. Satisfied, Hawkmon then helped me to my feet. "Nice shot mate..." I commented.

Hawkmon let out a small chuckle, "I don't know where that came from to be honest, I just… felt something surge within me when you… when you saved me." He explained.

I looked to the broken bamboo stick I had used to stab Fugamon, then back to him, "I couldn't just let him do that to you." I said, explaining my actions.

Hawkmon then noticed the object I was somehow still holding in my hands. "Ross… what is that in your hand?" He asked, pointing at it, the tone of his voice seemed to indicate a hint of fear.

Hesitantly I showed it to him, "I have no clue, it just sort of… appeared after I stabbed Fugamon." I explained, Hawkmon just sort of stared at the thing, as if he couldn't believe that this object even existed.

He then looked up at me, right in the eyes, "It's a Digivice…" He said, as if I was supposed to know what the bloomin' hell a "Digivice" was! He noticed my confusion, "It's a device that's supposed to link humans to Digimon, but I… I never thought they were real! Just a myth or legend." He explained, his confusion over the device made much more sense now. But if these things link Digimon to humans… that means…

Hawkmon seemed to come to the same realization as he looked at me with a shocked expression, but it quickly melted into a smile. "You and I… are partners!" He said almost giddily, like a child who just got the toy he always wanted.

I meanwhile, was still trying to process what it all meant, what did this all mean? Was I supposed to help Hawkmon overthrow the Digimon King? Not that he didn't deserve a good kick in the bollocks but… me? Oh god… I'm in so over my head aren't I?

* * *

 **A/N- And BOOM! Chapter four is done! Now if you're wondering why I posted this story four chapters in, it's my new method for making sure I'm into a story before posting it, I don't like leaving stories unfinished, and wish to make sure I don't do it again in the future.**

 **It seems everyone has their partners now except… one. Kate, to be honest, I kinda can't come up with one... I do plan on giving her one though, but which one I don't know, if you have suggestions I'd love to hear them.**

 **As for when to expect updates, I typically try to get a chapter out a day, but I might miss a day or two due to real life and stuff so no promises.**

 **And be sure to let me know what you think in the comments! Any adjustments you think I should make, suggestions, criticisms, etc.**

 **11/3/17: Did some minor touching up on the prose.**


	5. The Chosen Four

**Chapter 5: The Chosen Four**

* * *

 _ **Data Forest- Late Afternoon**_

* * *

Somehow, someway, we all managed to get out of the slave camp without drawing the attention of the queen's army. We also seemed to have added two more people to our group, Ethan and Gaomon. Ethan's story was similar to mine and Kate's, weird computer program, and sucked into the Digital World. Ethan was an ok kid, he was a bit immature, but since he was only sixteen it wasn't too surprising. Gaomon on the other hand… he was still mad about Commandramon, refusing to make eye contact with either him nor me.

Speaking of Commandramon, I've noticed since we left the camp he'd been basically glued to my side. Following me around like an obedient puppy, a puppy with a machine gun but still. Commandramon was a Digimon of very few words, only speaking when explaining something to us like how the Tankdramon usually do rounds just outside the camp.

Suddenly, "Dude do we even know where we're going?" whined Ethan, clearly tiring of just wandering around the forest aimlessly.

I shook my head, "I don't know man, I'm hoping if we keep wandering we'll run into something eventually." I admitted, I didn't know thing one about the Digital World! How the hell was I supposed to know where to go? Everyone none the less just froze in their tracks.

Gaomon, of course, was the first to lay into me, "You mean you have NO clue where you're going?!" He snapped at me, I had learned a while ago it didn't take much at all to set Gaomon off, add this to the fact he was **still** mad that I let Commandramon hang out with us and you had the recipe for a miserable hike.

I had to defend myself here, "Dude back off! I'm not exactly familiar with the area!" I said, I am **not** taking crap from a little blue dog in boxing gloves! Man, I'll take things I never thought I'd say for a hundred Alex, oh look… the Daily Double…

Kate decided to interject, "To be fair, none of us know this place very well." she pointed out.

Gaomon then moved himself in front of us, "I know where we can go, there's a rebel camp not too far from here, they might be able to help us with supplies and maybe even a map." He suggested, I guess I shouldn't have been **too** surprised there was a rebel group, the Digimon King and Queen didn't exactly run a free and fair democracy here. And to be honest, a map would be awesome! However, of course Gaomon had to use this to lay into Commandramon, "Although I don't think your friend here will be well received there." He said, shooting a dirty look at Commandramon.

Commandramon just kept his usual stone solid demeanor, how he was able to resist clocking Gaomon in the head I'll never know, I rolled my eyes, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there." I said, Gaomon simply shook his head and lead the way. At least we had a destination now, although what Gaomon said did worry me a little, Commandramon wasn't a bad Digimon, he like anyone deserved the chance to change for the better. I just wish Gaomon could see that…

Me and Commandramon hung at the back of the group, Gaomon and Ethan standing up front as the former lead us to the rebel camp. The forest's weird artificial quality still got to me, it was just so… weird. "Jason, permission to speak?" I heard Commandramon say suddenly.

Permission to speak? What am I? His Drill Sargent? "Dude you don't need to ask me if you can speak, what's on your mind?" I replied, Commandramon seemed a touch surprised by my response, I guess he wasn't used to being in more… casual company, instead of being ordered around by the Digimon Queen and her cronies.

"Why did you stand up for me back there? By all accounts Gaomon is right, you have little reason to trust me." He said, I guess Gaomon's words were getting to him more than I thought.

I sighed a little, "Because I believe everyone deserves second chances, I just wish Gaomon could see that." I responded.

Commandramon took a moment to respond, "You confuse me." He then suddenly said, what did he mean by **that** exactly? "You go against everything I know about humans and Digimon, I'm not… used to how you treat me… it's… bizarre." He elaborated.

It's just what I thought, he was so used to having apathetic and controlling masters, he never really knew compassion or friendship, I guess Gaomon was right after all, all Commandramon **do** know is how to hurt and destroy, but it was just a bit more literal than Gaomon thought. All he needed was someone to show him the way. "You've never had a friend before have you?" I asked him, to see if I could confirm this.

Commandramon stopped, "F...Friend?" He said, as if the word was alien to him, a foreign concept he had never even contemplated before. Being a creature manufactured to guard a slave camp I guess it wasn't too surprising. I'm probably the first person he's ever met that actually treated him like a person instead of a tool to be used.

The little dino soldier averted his eyes for a moment, thinking over the concept of friendship I bet, "You okay?" I asked him, he seemed to jump at this.

He looked back at me, "I… I apologize, I'm just… I've never had someone use that word in reference to me before." Commandramon replied, his usual flat, monotone grew a hint of sadness. I gave him a little pat on the head, "You'll get used to it." I told him, and I could have sworn… he grew a little smile on his digital camouflaged face…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Hawkmon left the village after the dust had settled from the battle earlier, or at least, what was _left_ of the village. Hawkmon said there was a rebel camp not too far from where we were that would be willing to help us. Naturally, I didn't like the concept of relying on strangers for help, but in our position we had no choice. So now me and Hawkmon struck out to find the rebels.

Hawkmon took point, since he was the one who knew where we were going. "It shouldn't be too far from here if I remember correctly." Hawkmon said, Hawkmon was oddly chipper for someone who just watched the village he lived in go up in flames, I think I'd be a touch more cross about that sort of thing if I were in his position.

I guess that was just the kind of person Hawkmon was, the kind of person who didn't let things get to him, sometimes I wished I were the same way. "Are you sure they'll be willing to help us, I mean, they don't exactly know me." I asked.

Hawkmon waved it off, "Once they hear our story they'll be willing to help us." He said with his usual optimism. I hoped he was right, I wasn't exactly looking for another fight, my head was still kind of recovering from that hit to the head I took.

Hawkmon's face then lit up, "We're here!" He said to me, I looked to see we indeed found a camp, so many bizarre creatures populated it, some resembled animals, others creatures of myth like dragons and even a centaur! When did this become Narnia? Hawkmon wasted no time in going into the camp, I followed close behind, if anything to make sure he didn't end up getting killed.

The Digimon in the camp just sort of stopped when I came into view, they all had an expression of pure shock like **I** was the freak. "Uh… hi?" I said sheepishly. No response, well they sure did know how to make a guy feel welcome didn't they?

Then the centaur from earlier approached, letting me get a closer look at him, he was a light, brownish color from head to toe, with a few bluish gray bits on his muscles. He wore a silver knight's helmet on his head, covering most of his face apart from one singular red eye.

The creature examined me, "And here I thought you'd never come Digidestined." He said, there's that word again, "Digidestined". He then motioned for me to join them in one of the tents, "Come, we have much to discuss human." He said. To be honest, I probably should have been more weary of this, he seemed a bit too eager to chit chat. But I wanted answers, so I did as I was asked, I just hoped I didn't end up regretting it…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

After a long time of walking I managed to spot two watch towers above us, at first I thought we had bumbled right back into a Digimon Queen hideout, but then "HALT!"

Suddenly we were surrounded on all sides by various Digimon, how goofy must this look from an outsider's perspective, a group of people being threatened with spears and swords by rabbits, dragons, and other goofy looking creatures, I think one of them was even threatening us with a kendo stick!

Commandramon naturally readied his gun, pointing it right at a tiny little flower creature, if I wasn't fearing for my life, the image alone would have made me chuckle.

"Lower your weapons everyone! They come in peace."

We all looked to see a humanoid figure approach us, but as he came into view, it was clear that, despite it looking human, it was really another Digimon, he kinda looked like Robocop if he lost a fight with a wood chipper. He wore silver metal robotic armor, apart from the bits that seemed to have been blown away, exposing his rather putrid looking flesh, despite his rather alarming appearance, he wore a friendly expression. "These humans mean us no harm." The robot creature said.

And with that, everyone, even Commandramon, lowered their weapons, the robot creature then approached me and Commandramon specifically, studying Commandramon a bit before turning his head towards me, "You managed to turn one of their Commandramon against them? Very impressive human." He said, well I guess I didn't have to worry about Commandramon causing a panic at least…

He then motioned us to follow him into camp, "Come, one of your fellow Digidestined has already arrived, and if it's all the same to you, I think it would be much more efficient to explain what's happening to all of you at once." He said, wait another "Digidestined" arrived? Did that mean another human was here? Just how many humans **were** dragged into this world?

I decided for whatever reason to take out my device thing, it suddenly came alive with a bio for the robot Digimon:

 _ **Andromon**_

 _ **Level: Ultimate**_

 _ **Type: Cyborg**_

 _ **Attribute: Vaccine**_

 _ **Family: Metal Empire**_

 _ **Attacks: Gatling Missile, Spiral Sword**_

 _ **Andromon is a prototype cyborg Digimon, it's strong enough to defeat any Digimon below Ultimate in one blow. Andromon lacks emotion, and faithfully follows it's programming.**_

So he had a name now at least, it seemed this device had the ability to scan Digimon and give me a read out of it's bio and stats. I could see how that could be useful if we ever had to fend off a Digimon attack or needed a quick info dump on someone.

Andromon lead us into the camp, and into a tent where we saw that there indeed was another human here, he looked a little bit older than the rest of us, early twenties if I were to hazard a guess, his arms were completely covered in tattoos, he wore a black sleeveless t-shirt, tight jeans, and combat boots. His hair was a long, brown ponytail. Next to him was a Digimon, it resembled a bird with a native American motif going on with his belt headband that had a decorative feather attached and red face markings.

The man just sort of glared at us with his ice blue eyes, he seemed more annoyed than anything though, oh good another sour puss, as if Gaomon wasn't bad enough…

At the other side of the tent stood what could only be described as an armored centaur thing, although stranger still he had **six** legs instead of the usual four, he was covered from head to toe in red armor. A rather large crossbow was attached to his left arm, his lavender colored hair spilled from the back of his helmet.

The creature had a commanding presence to him, "Ah, I see the others have joined us, I was just going to explain to Ross here why you all are here." The creature said in a calm yet commanding voice. I got the feeling that he was the leader of this rebel camp, there was just something about him that just gave it away.

I stood next to the new guy, who's name I now knew was Ross, Ross continued to remain silent, I guess he just wanted answers like the rest of us. The centaur knight then began to explain, "Now, I'm sure you four have many questions about why you're here, and what those devices you hold in your hands are." He began, I looked to see I still had the thing in my hands, it seemed Ross had one too since I saw him holding one in his hands, except his had black grips instead of red.

Ethan looked at the devices, "Hey! I didn't get one!" He blurted out.

The centaur then shook his head, "check your pocket Ethan." He instructed him, Ethan did so, and surprisingly produced his own device, this one having blue grips. "When the hell did **that** get there?!" Ethan asked.

The centaur remained still as stone, "You all got them when you arrived in the Digital World, Kate has one too, despite the fact she seems to yet find her Digimon partner." He explained, as if to confirm this, Kate fished in her own pockets and produced a device of her own, green grips this time. "Those, are your Digivices, they're special devices meant to link humans to Digimon, so you can share your power, and eventually Digivolve." He explained.

There's that word again, "Digivolve", I can't believe I forgot to ask anyone about that! God I was such a flake sometimes! "What's Digivolving?" I asked, the centaur turned his gaze in my direction, "Digivolving is the process we Digimon use to move between levels, the farther up a Digimon goes, the stronger it is. I, Kentaurosmon, for example, am a Mega Level, the highest level a Digimon can reach." He explained, letting me know his name in the process.

Kentaruosmon then began to pace back and forth, looking in our direction the whole time. "You four have been selected by our agent in the real world to help us stop the Digimon King, no doubt you've seen the Digimon King's handywork on your way here?" He asked. I guess the creepy bum guy was the "agent" they were referring to. I didn't even want to **begin** to try to wrap my head around how **that** works. He then looked to Commandramon, "Given how it seems one of you were able to turn one of their Commandramon against them. Which one of you managed this may I ask?" He asked.

"Th… that would be me sir." I squeaked, it was hard **not** to be intimidated by Kentaruosmon, he was huge for one thing, and his claim that he was at the highest power level for Digimon certainly didn't help.

Kentaruosmon quickly walked over to me, looking me right in the eyes, "Most impressive human, Commandramon are known for being blindly loyal to their masters… and while I naturally am… cautious… about having one in our midst, I am intrigued to see what comes of this." He said. Was it really that impressive? The queen had her attack dog rip his arm off! I'm pretty sure if **my** boss did that to me, I doubt I'd be too eager to return to working for them either. And too be honest, I could actually see my manager doing that…

"All I did was help repair his arm after the Queen had her… wolf thing attack him." I explained, sure reattaching someone's arm was a pretty cool thing to do for someone to put it lightly, but I kinda felt like they thought I did some super magic spell on Commandramon to make him a good or something.

But Kentaruosmon shook his head, "You showed him compassion Jason, something others in your position would have never done. That is why I chose you to be one of my Digidestined, you four each have something unique and special about yourselves, something the Digital World needs..." He explained.

Then Ross finally decided to speak for the first time since I've met him, "So who is this Digimon King anyway?" He asked in a British accent.

Kentaruosmon sighed, "He is so much more than any of you realize, but he is also shares much more with you than you know." He began, oh I didn't like where this was going… "He, like you, was once human… but somehow… he became more than that, he is now neither human nor Digimon, but something… in between…" He continued. "We don't know much about him before he came to the Digital World, but we do know he is ruthless, efficient, and cares very little about who or what he hurts… just that he gets his way." said Kentaruosmon.

So… he was some kind of… horrible human Digimon thing? What? "Why do you need us to stop him?" I asked. It was an important question, did they really need **our** help to stop a squishy human? Digital hybrid or not?

A simple shake of the head told me there was more to it than that, "Somehow, The Digimon King was able to bring both the Metal Empire and the Nightmare Soldiers under his command. His army is too vast for us to have any hopes of even making it to his location, let alone defeat him. Only the Digidestined stand any chance to taking him down." Kentaruosmon said.

Kate decided to be the next to ask a question, "But, we're just a bunch of young people, how the hell are we supposed to stop something that the most powerful Digimon in the digital world can't even hope to crack!" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Kentaruosmon turned to her, "A bond between a human and a Digimon is far more powerful than you realize Ms. Peterson. While you aren't ready to face the King directly yet, in time you will be." He replied before returning his gaze to the rest of us. "For now, feel free to make camp here, I'll have my men ready your supplies, for now I suggest resting, you have a very long journey ahead of you." He said before taking his leave.

We all took the time to try to process what we had just learned, we were all just a bunch of random people, but yet Kentaruosmon just decided to put the fate of their world on our shoulders! Either he was out of ideas, or he's out of his mind! Maybe even a mix of the two! I mean god, I could barely stand up to raging costumers at work! What chance did I stand against an army so vast that even the world's strongest Digimon couldn't even crack it?!

Ross gave a sigh, "So… anyone else get the feeling we're in over our heads? Or is it just me?" He asked, clearly sharing my sentiment that we were woefully unqualified for what was being asked of us.

Kate shook her head, "Well he seems pretty sure we can! I think that's good enough for me!" She said, "Besides, it beats being stuck at home, bored out of my mind!" She added. Oh sure, we might die horribly, screaming in agony, but at least we'll have **fun** dying!

Ethan seemed to share Kate's sentiment, "Kate's right, I think we have a pretty good shot. Kentaruosmon doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd trust someone with something if he wasn't sure we could do it." He said. It seemed we were even split on this, me and Ross thought we were biting off more than we could chew, but Kate and Ethan seemed to like our odds.

But Ross didn't seem to be willing to allow this optimism to go unchallenged, "Are you f***ing mental?! We aren't in bloody Wonderland kid! I barely survived my encounter with the Digimon King's army! This isn't some magical holiday where you can go off into the sunset and be an idiot! We're entering a war! A war that I find very unlikely we can win!" He snapped at Ethan.

However Ethan seemed just as unwilling to back down, "And what do you want us to do huh? I've seen what that bastard does to these people! You want to what? Just leave them behind cause YOU don't have the BALLS to even try?!" Ethan yelled back.

Everyone else just stood back and watched the sparks fly, they both had very valid points, we were clearly in over our heads, but doing nothing would be kinda soulless to put it lightly. Suddenly Kate decided to let that Irish temper out, and grabbed both of them by the arms and flipped them over on their backs! Man was she strong for a girl of her build!

The two groaned as they sat up, "You two are both being idiots! We're going to help these people! And I don't wanna hear no complainin' from you're ponytail wearin' arse!" She yelled at Ross before turning her ire towards Ethan, "And YOU! We all need to work together if we're going to pull this off! And throwing childish insults at people isn't helping!" She barked at him.

Ross and Ethan both picked themselves off the ground, "Bloody Irish women..." Ross grumbled as he stood to his feet, and dusted himself off, and with that, I guess it was decided we were going along with Kentaruosmon's plan, I wasn't about to object to anything after seeing how well Kate… handled it.

* * *

 _ **Later That Night…**_

* * *

The humans all decided to sleep after a while, they **have** had quite a day after all, me, Gaomon, and Hawkmon stood watch, or rather **I** did as Gaomon and Hawkmon fought to stay awake themselves. I however was trained for this sort of thing, sleep was a luxury not a right, and I didn't want to risk losing my new commander in an attack I wasn't ready for. I doubted the Digimon Queen would have let our escape go so quickly, she probably had a Commandramon unit out there trying to pin point our location right now. We managed to escape the mining camp unnoticed, but the Queen was smart, she'd know eventually, especially after I killed one of my former comrades, not to mention how Ethan and Gaomon were apparently her captives at one point, she would **definitely** notice their absence.

"How can you stay awake so easily?" I heard Gaomon ask me, his voice making it clear how tired and groggy he was.

I turned in his direction, "It's part of my training. I can go for days without sleep." I explained. These weren't conversations I was used to having, I won't lie, most of these things were just accepted among us Commandramon, it was just how our lives were.

Gaomon moved in a bit closer, to where he was sitting next to me, I couldn't help but be a little cautious of him, he hasn't exactly been the most cooperative Digimon, and I knew he had issues with trusting me. "And you never once thought to question any of it?" He asked me.

I gave a sigh, "It was just how things were, we aren't allowed to question, only obey." I explained. Gaomon reacted the same way anyone in this group of ours did when I tried to explain how things worked with us Commandramon, as if it wasn't normal. I guess for them it wasn't, but for me, it was.

Gaomon looked upwards at the sky, "Look, you and I, we don't exactly see eye to eye, but… with all this Digidestined stuff, we're both in the same boat now… we both have a human counting on us to guide them through this whole crazy mess." He began, I knew my mission Gaomon, why does he feel the need to explain this to me? "Point is, we can't keep fighting with each other, I still have doubts about your defection to our side… but I'm willing to look past it as long as you're willing to meet me halfway." He added.

I turned to him, "I never held any ill will towards you, from your perspective, you had every right to distrust me. But I do agree working together will benefit the mission a lot more than fighting with one another." I said.

Gaomon chuckled a bit, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised I got a response like that, you're still getting used to being outside of the Queen's army. I couldn't imagine living like that, obeying without question, constantly under the threat of being killed if I screw up even once… I never really gave much thought to how much she really does mistreat you Commandramon until now." He said.

I never really thought of it like that, it was just how things were, it wasn't until Jason repaired me that I ever began to question how I was treated while under her command. He was so different from her, he treated me like an equal, not an underling. It was… alien to me. I didn't know how to process it, I looked back to Jason, who was fast asleep on the ground. The first creature, human or Digimon, to show me kindness… compassion… I guess that's why I was so quick to aid him and Kate back at the mining camp… it was something that I didn't even know I longed for until now…

A friend…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Data Forest- Night**_

* * *

These Commandramon were so incompetent, I don't know why the King insisted on using them. They let two prisoners escape, worse one of them was human! How another human managed to get to the Digital World without Rex's help I had no clue, but I intended on finding out.

Usually at this hour I was asleep in my quarters, but because of these raving dumbasses I was forced to spend the night in a dark, dank forest looking for a boy and his dog! "Your Highness! I found something!" One of the Commandramon shouted from a distance.

I and the other Commandramon walked over to where the one who cried out was heard, we found him pointing to a gate of some kind, I recognized the architecture, the rebellion. If that human went anywhere, it had to be here, and even if he wasn't, the King would be pleased to hear we knocked over one of Kentaruosmon's little camps. "Get the Sealsdramon ready! We attack the camp at dawn! And soon… there will be nowhere left for them to hide..." I ordered, the Commandramon saluted me and rushed off to carry out my orders.

I heard the familiar sound of Okamon appearing behind me, "Are you sure the escaping human is here Bridget?" He asked me.

I turned to face him, "I told you not to use my real name!" I reprimanded him, he giving me his usual apology, "And as for if I'm sure, even if I'm not, at least we'll have one less rebel camp to worry about." I added.

I was growing tired of Kentaruosmon and his merry band of idiots meddling in my affairs, I couldn't wait to see yet another one of his little hideouts burn to the ground…

* * *

 **A/N- Our heroes can't seem to catch a break can they? What sort of diabolical plan does The Digimon Queen have? And _who_ exactly _is_ the Digimon Queen? And what is her connection to the King?**

 **And as a side not, screw whoever named Kentaruosmon! That is SUCH a hard name to spell! God damn man! Were you trying to get use out of a bad Scrabble hand or something?**


	6. Wrath of the Queen

**Chapter 6: Wrath of the Queen**

* * *

 _ **Rebel Camp- Data Forest- Early Morning**_

* * *

I half expected to wake up in my bedroom, with all this Digital World nonsense having been a crazy dream or something, but one look at my surroundings killed that theory in an instant. I can't believe I managed to sleep on hard ground, I guess all that walking really took more out of me than I thought.

"About time you woke up,"

I turned over to see Commandramon sitting next to me, his gun laid beside him. "Everyone else is already out and about." He added. I took a look around to find he was right, I was the only one here besides Commandramon.

Worse still I didn't really have an excuse, well time to pull one out of my ass, "I guess I'm just not used to waking up without an alarm clock." I said, half jokingly as I got up. Then, something occurred to me. "How long were you sitting there watching me?" I asked Commandramon.

Commandramon stood up, "One hour, fifteen minutes, and thirty five seconds. Why do you ask?" He said, wow, I didn't expect to get such a… detailed answer. Well he was a cyborg after all, but his tone told me he didn't seem to understand why I asked this.

I got the feeling Commandramon was still trying to adjust to being around people who weren't robots or cold unfeeling overlords. "Let me put it this way, in my world, someone watching you sleep is grounds to get a restraining order." I told him, hoping he'd get the hint.

And on that awkward note, me and Commandramon left the tent, everyone in the camp was already off doing their daily tasks, some where patrolling the gates, others moving supplies, only driving the point home even **more** that I overslept. "Oh look who finally decided to join us!" I heard Ross say, I turned to see him and Hawkmon walking towards us. "What's the matter mate? Didn't get enough beauty sleep the night before?" He teased.

I just shook my head, "I'm just not a morning person." I replied.

Ross simply put a hand on my shoulder, "Not many of us are mate, come on, the rebels have set up breakfast for us." He said, it was then I realized just how long it had been since I ate anything, I guess hunger was the farthest thing from my mind when I was running for my life in a world I didn't understand.

Ross led me through the camp and into the mess tent, there everyone else was, Digimon included. The amount of food on the table was… absurd to put it kindly, it was like they had laid out a feast for us! Bowls of fruit sat side by side with a giant hunk of some kind of meat, not exactly the kind of meal you'd expect from a military encampment.

I took my seat among the others who were already chowing down. "Man, I haven't eaten this good in a **while**!" Kate said between bites of an apple. I snatched a plate from the pile and began to gather my own meal, in other circumstances I'd be more weary of eating mystery meat, but my hunger had come full force since I realized how long it had been since I'd eaten, and you know what they say, if you're hungry enough, you'll eat it not matter what it is.

The lack of utensils was a bit alarming, all there was, was a knife for carving the meat slab. Well, I guess I was using my hands, not exactly sanitary, but hey, I was too hungry to care. The meat was the first thing I dug into… even from the taste I still couldn't tell what it was, some bizarre mix between beef and pork. It was better than I expected, I wolfed it down in seconds.

Ross took a seat next to me and began to prepare his own plate, "God Jason, how long's it been since you ate anything?" He asked, noticing how quickly I was downing everything.

Well, best be honest, "Since my lunch break at work yesterday." I said before chomping into a pare.

Ross took a bit out of an orange before replying, "Where do you work?" He asked me, it then dawned on me, we all barely knew a thing about each other, but to be fair, it's not like we ever got the chance to given all the crap we'd had dumped on us yesterday, we had spent most of that day after the talk with Kentaruosmon just digesting all we had learned.

"I work the electronics section at Walmart." I told him, wasting my life away at Walmart wasn't exactly something I was proud of, but I had to make ends meet and well, it was either that or McDonald's.

Ross shook his head, "I work at a tattoo parlor up in Norwich." He said, of course his job was cooler than mine, but with a bar set as low as "Walmart desk jockey" it's not like it wasn't that hard.

Ethan shook his head, "I don't have a job, my dad wants me to focus on school." he said, his tone had a hint of annoyance, I would have asked but I doubted it would be something he wanted to discuss.

Kate smiled, "So am I, Sam does the working for our household." She said, Sam I'm assuming was her boyfriend or possibly even husband.

Ross of course, couldn't help himself, "So your boyfriend has you as a housewife eh?" He said with a snicker.

Kate looked at him, "Girlfriend actually, Sam is a girl." She said, wait… she's a lesbian? Not that there was anything **wrong** with that, but it still kind of came out of nowhere. Kate didn't seem at all bothered by our shock, telling me she was used to getting that reaction.

"Dude you're gay?" Ethan suddenly blurted out.

Kate simply flicked her hair, "What? You disappointed Ethan?" She said, teasing him. Ethan blushed in embarrassment and returned to his meal. Kate then turned back to the rest of us, "Me and Sam have only been together for a year or so. We only recently moved into a house together." She explained.

Ross shook his head, "I live alone in a run down old flat." He said with a slight smirk.

Oh god, I have to tell them don't I? "I… I still live with my mom." I said, causing Ross to burst out laughing. Yup, called that one, but Ross seemed to be the only one who found this funny.

"You what mate? What's the matter? Still need mum to tuck you in at night?" He said between giggles.

"I have to help pay for the house, she's a single parent." I elaborated, causing Ross to stop laughing. "Ever since Dad left us it's been on me to pick up the slack." I added, my dad wasn't something I exactly liked discussing, it was a sore subject to say the least, but it helped the others to understand my situation.

There was a moment of awkward silence before someone decided to change the subject, "So, how'd you guys end up here?" Ethan asked, clearly more to change the subject than an actual inquiry.

I decided to help out, since I didn't want to talk about my home life right now, "I was at work when this weird looking hobo came in and put a disc on the counter, I took it home and well, you know the rest." I explained.

Ross then turned to me, "Same here, it was this old tramp with a ball cap on." He said.

"Yeah, it was a Boston Red Sox cap right?" Ethan then asked, okay this was freaky, the same exact bum showed up to all three of us.

Kate nodded, "He had a black trench coat on, long scraggly hair." She added, further confirming it was indeed the same bum that found all four of us.

I decided to throw out a theory, "Kentaruosmon said he had an agent in our world, I'm guessing the bum was that agent." I suggested, it seemed pretty cut and dry when you really stopped to think about it, the same guy came to all four of us, despite us being in different countries. But that begged the question, why a bum? And who or **what** was he **really**?

But before anyone could respond, suddenly there was a loud explosion! The blast rattling the camp. Suddenly the entire mess tent was awash in panicked Digimon rushing to see what it was that had just happened.

Without a word, me and the others followed suit, we rushed into the center of camp to find the far wall was on the ground and burning, and you'll never guess what was pouring in from said fallen wall… Commandramon's old friends! Joy…

Ethan just shook his head, "They followed us?! All the way here?! Don't they have anything better to do?" He said, Hey as long as the tank ones weren't here too I'm good! But this was still bad, how the hell did they find us so quickly?

"I want every rebel in this camp dead! We aren't interested in prisoners today!"

I looked to see an all too familiar woman come through the destroyed gate, it was the Digimon Queen herself, and it seemed that they were intent on killing the whole camp! And her forces went on to do just that, attacking and slaughtering the rebels. More and more of the queen's forces began pouring in, not all of them were Commandramon, there were a few bigger lizard soldiers, each brandishing a nasty looking combat knife.

"Sealsdramon." Commandramon said from behind me, hey as long as she doesn't bring in a Tankdramon I'm good! I don't exactly feel up to running from a nuclear missile today thank you.

I then saw Kentaruosmon rush onto the scene, "Bridget Shuno… I had a feeling we'd see each other again." He said, clearly referring to the Digimon Queen as he locked eyes with her.

She growled slightly, "Don't call me that!" She growled. Apparently she wasn't too big on what I assumed was her real name.

Kentaruosmon shook his head, "This was not why you where brought here Bridget! End this madness now while there's still a chance!" He said, clearly there was more to the Digimon Queen than I thought previous.

She then did something I was **not** expecting, she produced from her coat pocket… a digivice. A black one with red grips, out of it came an energy whip. "I don't want a damn lecture! I've had enough of you and your damn resistance!" She yelled before whipping at Kentaruosmon.

The whip hit him but didn't really do any damage as he barely even flinched. "You disappoint me Bridget, but it's clear you've made your choice. You'd rather allow despair to consume you than see the light. I hope it was worth it." He said before another explosion went off, and… oh come on! No! NO!

A convoy of Tankdramon began to funnel into the newly made hole in the gate, oh come on one was bad enough! Now there were like… six of the bastards! That's just not right dude… Kentaruosmon looked to the Tankdramon and then back to me, "I'll handle the Tankdramon, you and your friends do what you can to stop the Commandramon and Sealsdramon!" He ordered us, before so much as a "yes sir!" could be uttered, he ran off to engage the tank demons.

I then heard laughter come from the Queen. "So you're the suckers Kentaruosmon brought here to replace me huh? I expected more." She scoffed, suddenly her little wolf friend appeared behind her, she then looked to Commandramon, "And what do we have here? It seems you've stolen one of my Commandramon, if it's all the same to you I'd like it back." she growled.

I looked to Commandramon, his face it's usual flat expression, honestly I expected him to have more of a reaction to the psycho who had his arm torn off but that wasn't important right now, I turned back to her, "Forget it! Not after what I saw you do to him!" I snapped, I was doing my best to hide how scared I was right now, I had no clue if I could take her in a fight, last time Commandramon and the wolf had an encounter, it ended with Commandramon one arm short.

The Queen grew a wicked smirk, "How cute, you think they're real… don't you?" She said, what the hell did **that** mean? He was standing **right** there! How is he **not** real?! "Let me clue you in on something little boy, this world… these Digimon… it's all just a complex computer simulation. None of this is real… it may look real, feel real, but it isn't. Now tell me something… are you really going to waste your time trying to play hero in a fake world?" She said.

I didn't like how much sense she was making, it certainly explained a lot. How fake the forest looked, that unending feeling of wrong this world gave off, I even came here through my god damn computer! It really did sound stupid when you thought about it, we were going to risk life and limb to save a simulation pretty much.

But… no… there was more to the Digital World than that, sim or not, what was happening here wasn't right, these creatures were suffering! Even if it is all just data, something about this place felt… real. "Maybe it's all fake to you, but the pain you and your king are causing is all too real! These are real creatures! With real feelings! You've let your apathy turn you into a monster! And I **will** stop you!" I said.

The Digimon Queen seemed taken back by this, however she quickly shook it off, "And I'm sure pro wrestling's still real to you too isn't it kid? You're hopeless, a dorky little kid trying to live out his childish fantasies of being a hero! Allow me, to bring you back to reality. Okamon!" She said, the wolf, Okamon apparently, nodded and quickly vanished.

Before I could even begin to wonder what was happening I felt myself being knocked to the ground, laid out flat on my back before Okamon stomped on my chest, "I don't take pleasure in hurting you kid, but it's what master wants." He said before he began to apply pressure.

I could feel my ribs bending from the weight, it wouldn't be long before they gave, the queen then knelt next to me, "Oh make no mistake kid, I'm not going to kill you, I'm just going to hurt you enough so you get it through that thick skull of yours that you can't stop us!" She said.

Well at least I wouldn't die, just be horribly injured! What is **wrong** with this girl?! She's either completely detached, or insane. Maybe even a mix of the two! I looked around me hoping to see one of the others rushing to my aid, only to see they were all busy engaging the Commandramon, trying to stop the queen's forces from destroying everyone and everything in this camp. I was on my own here, and it didn't look like I was going to turn this around.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

Suddenly Okamon was tackled off of me by a teal and blue blur. I coughed and sputtered as the crushing weight of Okamon's foot was taken off of me. I managed to look up to see Okamon on the ground, with Commandramon aiming his rifle right at his head!

The Queen rose to her feet, gritting her teeth in anger, her digivice shot out it's laser whip again, "Defiant little sh**! You serve ME!" She snarled as she cracked the whip right at Commandramon, getting him right on the snout, he flinched a little but kept his gun on Okamon.

He turned his gaze to the Queen, "Jason saved my life after **you** tried to have your pet kill me! You've done **nothing** but abuse me and my comrades! Why the **hell** should I obey **you?!"** He growled.

The Queen grew even more angry, "You little sh**! Fine! If that's what you want! You can **die** with the rest of these rebel scum! Okamon! Finish him!" She barked, Okamon quickly knocked Commandramon's gun out of his hands, and hit him with a swift kick to the stomach.

Commandramon tumbled backwards until he was finally able to catch himself, he then found himself hit with a devastating combo from Okamon, Okamon seemed to be effortlessly out maneuvering Commandramon, as every attempt by him to fight back was only met with a swift counter and huge blow.

Okamon then cocked one of his hands back, " _ **SHADOW SHOT!**_ " He bellowed, suddenly he shot a dark energy blast out of his paw that hit Commandramon flush, sending him through a tent, said tent collapsing around him.

Satisfied, Okamon began to approach the downed soldier, "You should have just obeyed Commandramon… you could have lived a longer life." Okamon said, charging another Shadow Shot, "Goodbye Commandramon." He added, aiming his shot at Commandramon, who was too dazed to even know what was happening.

I couldn't let this happen! I had to stop this! I was scared, more scared than I had ever been before! But Commandramon needed someone to help him! I had to be brave, I had to overcome my trepidation and save him, I rushed at Okamon as fast as my legs would allow, the dark energy ball in his paw was getting bigger, it would only be mere seconds before he got the shot off!

 _ **CRACK!**_

Before he even knew what was happening, I caught him with the strongest right hook I could muster, it clearly didn't hurt him all that much, but it was able to force him to adjust his shot, missing Commandramon entirely. I then felt the Digivice in my pocket begin to rattle and shake violently, as my hand was covered in some kind of red, pixelation. Almost like badly rendered fire. I stared at it for what felt like hours, but then something in me was telling me what I needed to do now.

I picked my Digivice out of my pocket, " _ **Digispirt!… CHARGE!**_ " I found myself saying almost out of instinct. I brought the pixel colored hand onto the top of the Digivice, almost like it was a Power Rangers morpher. The Digivice came alive, whirring and glowing a bright red as a bright beam shot out and hit Commandramon, who soon began to share it's red glow.

" _ **Commandramon Digivolve too…"**_ I heard him cry as his form began to shift and change. He was growing much taller and more lean, and his gun shifted into a combat knife. The bright light burst away, revealing his new form, " _ **SEALSDRAMON!**_ " He bellowed. He now resembled those knife wielding creatures that had come after the queen's Commandramon.

Speaking of the queen, "Impossible! How did you-?!" She fumbled, completely floored that I had done… whatever it was I had just done… What did I do again?

Okamon seemed to be very weary of Sealsdramon, as he seemed visibly nervous. Sealsdramon seemed to quickly pick up on this, "What's the matter? Still a rookie level? That's a shame." He boasted.

Okamon quickly shook it off, "I've beaten Champion levels before! Don't get too cocky." He snarled before charging another Shadow Shot, he fired, but Sealsdramon dodged it effortlessly.

Sealsdramon managed to maneuver himself behind Okamon, " _ **DEATH BEHIND!**_ " He shouted before the sounds of metal piercing flesh hit the air, Okamon yelped as Sealsdramon's knife hit it's mark. Okamon fell forward after Sealsdramon removed the knife from Okamon's back.

Okamon quickly no-sold getting literally stabbed in the back and hit Sealsdramon with a round house kick, Sealsdramon staggered a little, but quickly regained his footing and answered back with a right hook, knocking Okamon back. It was clear that, while Okamon was a more seasoned fighter, Sealsdramon had the level advantage. Okamon struggled to get up, "H...how? How is this possible?" He coughed.

Sealsdramon approached the downed canine, "Because unlike you, I have a friend who cares. And through that friend, I've become more powerful than you. I'm not her underling anymore!" He said, he readied his knife for the killing blow, but relented, "But I'm not like you, I'm not going to be the monster you or your master wanted me to be." He said, turning his back on him.

Okamon seemed enraged, but was too beaten to attack, "You coward! Get back here and FINISH THIS!" He yelled, but if Sealsdramon heard him, he didn't show it. I took a look around to see that, despite all the damage done to the camp, the rebels had somehow managed to turn the battle around and drastically lower the numbers of the Queen's forces.

The Queen herself seemed to realize this as she looked around, "FINE! You win this time! But next time we meet, you won't be so lucky!" She said, before taking her leave, Okamon following behind her along with what remained of her forces.

Suddenly the camp exploded in cheers, this day, victory was ours! The other Digidestined all surrounded me, "That was SICK dude! How'd you do that?" Ethan said, referring to how I turned Commandramon into Sealsdramon.

"He unlocked his Digispirit."

Kentaruosmon then approached us, "Each of you has the ability to tap into what is known as Digispirit, each of you has it linked to your strongest trait, Jason's was Courage." He explained.

Uhh… I'm a lot of things… but courageous is **not** one of them! "Y… you're joking right? I can't even face an angry customer without freaking out..." I tried to explain, but Kentaruosmon cut me off, "But you faced Okamon anyway, if attacking someone much stronger than you to save a friend isn't courageous, I don't know what is." He corrected me.

He then looked to the others, "You all have a diferent Digispirit, it's on to you to discover what it is, for now, you've all earned a rest, but keep in mind, you'll all soon need to begin your journey eventually." He said before taking his leave.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

How the hell did he do that?! I'd been trying for so long to unlock this damn device's digivolution abilities to no avail, but some geeky kid managed to do it in seconds flat! The idea vexed me, but it didn't matter, next time we met, me and Okamon would be ready… and that blonde little punk wouldn't fare nearly as well…

* * *

 **A/N- And thus our first Digivolution is revealed! And our journey begins! Will our heroes stop the Digimon King? What kind of wacky misadventures will our heroes encounter? Stay tuned.**

 **And as for why this chapter is… two days, late? Well, I suddenly came down with a nasty head cold and wasn't exactly feeling up to writing as I lay there coughing my lungs up, feeling like death.**

 **And don't worry, Kate will get a partner eventually, I'm just still trying to figure out what it's going to be…**


	7. Welcome to the File Inn!

**Chapter 7: Welcome to the File Inn!**

* * *

 _ **Rebel Camp- Noon**_

* * *

The rebel camp was pretty damaged from the attack, I hadn't really noticed how badly until the dust had settled and the battle was over. I felt kinda bad actually, like it was somehow my fault this happened. Well the queen **had** come here for **us** after all so it wasn't entirely unfounded. Kentaruosmon had summoned us to the same tent he had yesterday, mainly to give us our supplies and send us on our way.

"This should be everything you need for your journey through the Digital World, forgive me if it seems light, but the attack by the queen left us with little in the way of supplies." Kentaruosmon apologized, handing me a satchel. I'd go over it's contents once we left the camp. Kentaruosmon then turned to the others, "I wish you all luck on your journey, the whole of the Digital World is counting on your success." He said, everyone then went to leave, I was about to be the last one out when.

"Jason, can I talk to you? Privately?" said Kentaruosmon, confused I turned and approached him, "You and Bridget, I couldn't help but hear what she said to you, do you believe her when she says this world is only a simulation?" He asked me, how the hell did he hear that?! He was all the way across camp beating up Tandramon when she said that! But I'd stopped questioning this world a **long** time ago.

But I didn't know how to answer, I couldn't lie, I did think it was a possibility. But I couldn't just say that to him, it might freak him out or worse offend him. However he didn't wait for a response, "You don't have to answer Jason, I can see the doubt in your eyes, I can tell you this, she is **half** right." He said, "The Digital World was indeed created by your world's computers, and we Digimon are indeed data, but despite that… we **are** as real as you are, we feel the same things you do, we hurt like you do, we are real in every sense, the only thing that separates us from the creatures of your world is what makes up our bodies." He elaborated.

Well there was more than just that, creatures of my world didn't shoot laser beams and grow ten feet tall with the push of a button. But that was just semantics at that point. "What happened? I mean, with the Queen?" I asked him, to be frank, it was something I'd been meaning to ask since the battle, I just hadn't known how to approach it until now.

Kentaruosmon seemed to hesitate at first, as if not wanting to tell me, but he relented, "She is a complicated case Jason, Bridget was the first human I had brought here to the Digital World to stop the Digimon King. But… she had a dark… troubling past, a past that had consumed her with grief and anger. I thought that I could help her… give her a chance to find peace… but the King got to her first, she became corrupted… lost in her own rage… She is why I asked you that question Jason, I don't want to see you fall to the same fate. I know you've had your own sorrows… I just hope for your sake you don't allow yourself to be consumed by them like she was." He explained.

So she **was** like us, that explained the Digivice she had, but another question popped into my mind, "Is there any hope for her?" I asked, I was always one of those people that tried to see the best in anyone, that felt anyone could change if given the chance. It was why I saved Commandramon despite the fact I probably really shouldn't have.

But Kentaruosmon shook his head, "I doubt anyone could reach her at this point Jason. And even if you did… the weight of her actions… I doubt she would be able to come to terms with them. I admire the fact you wish to help her Jason, but some people… can't be brought back to the light." He told me, I'll admit, It wasn't the answer I wanted, but he seemed so sure of it.

He then began to usher me out of the tent, "Be strong out there Jason, the Digital World brings many wonders, but also many hardships. Some of the things you might see on that journey will test your will and spirit, but you mustn't ever give into despair. Emotions are a powerful thing in the Digital World, they can create and destroy. Keep your head high, and your spirit strong, and you'll make it just fine." He told me before I left the tent.

I wasn't even going to **try** to unpack **that** info dump. The others where there waiting for me, "So, what was that all about?" Ross asked almost instantly. In all honesty, I probably should tell them what he told me, but part of me had the feeling he told me alone for a reason.

I just shook my head, "It's not important right now, we should get going." I told them, I knew that wouldn't be enough for them, but right now I just wanted to focus on beginning this journey. Part of me just wanted to get this whole thing over with and just go home, and the sooner we left, the sooner we'd end the Digimon King and get back to our lives.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Unknown Place**_

* * *

I was dreading this encounter, Rex wasn't one to forgive failure, and I hadn't quite failed him on this level before. He would be livid when he found out that one of the new Digidestined had not only turned one of my soldiers against me, but digivolved them to defeat me. I always hated how dark and dingy Rex kept this stupid castle, it made walking through it a pain in the ass. His gloomy and dark artwork didn't help matters. He was a bit too much of a fan of Gothic art and architecture.

Soon enough we reached Rex's chambers, and true to his nickname "The Digimon King", he sat in his throne, he wore his black dark coat with red straps and silver jewels. His hair was a black mullet, his eyes glowing a bright fire red. He stared at me with anger, "You failed Bridget." He snarled.

I took a knee and tried to keep my composure, "I'm sorry Mr. Nexion, I tried but one of them managed to digivolve on me." I tried in vain to explain myself, but Rex cut me off.

"I don't want EXCUSES!" He roared, slamming a fist on the throne arm rest, "The Commandramon are supposed to be **your** underlings! And you allowed one of those Digidestined to not only turn one of them against you! But Digivolve it as well! I expect much better from someone who calls herself the "Digimon Queen"!" He added. Rex wasn't usually one to show his anger, unless someone **really** screwed up.

"Perhaps my lord, trusting her with this mission is a mistake."

Oh for f*** sake, of course **he** would say that, in walked an all too familiar Digimon, he was a tin can with arms and legs pretty much, the leader of the former Metal Empire, and not exactly my biggest fan, Datamon.

Datamon continued, "Trusting the machinations of the Metal Empire forces to a human is clearly not working out, I could easily defeat these flesh bags no problem! Allow **me** to control the D-Brigade! I promise you I'll have better results than your so called "queen"." He said, it took all my self control not to deck that pompous hunk of bolts!

Okamon stepped in, "She did her best Datamon, she and I were merely caught off guard! Besides, she has more instinct than you and your data obsessed motherboard ever will! Numbers aren't going to beat the Digidestined!" He snarled in my defense. At least I had **him** on my side.

Datamon however, didn't seem to agree, "You and your partner aren't smart enough to run an army! And you're only just a rookie! I can have them dead within an hour!" He boasted, you wouldn't think a robot would have so much ego, but you'd be wrong in Datamon's case.

Rex then decided to butt in, "ENOUGH! Bridget despite your loyalty, Datamon is right, you're clearly in over your head, I'm moving control of the D-Brigade over to Datamon until the Digidestined are dealt with." He said.

Datamon naturally was pleased, "Thank you my lord! I promise you I'll do much better than this foolish little girl! Those Digidestined will be nothing more than a distant memory when I'm done with them!" He bragged. He then shot me a dirty look before going off to concoct whatever hair brained scheme he had.

Rex then turned to me, "I'm sorry Bridget, but this is too important for me to take chances on you. You should take this time to solve your Digivolution issue." He told me, before motioning for me to leave.

I stormed out of the King's chambers, I waited until I was out of earshot before I unleashed my anger. "WHAT THE HELL?!" I screamed, slamming my fists on a handrail. "I've done so much for this regime, and how does he thank me?! By pushing me aside and forcing me to sit on the damn side lines while that old bucket of bolts gets **my** army!" I continued. To say I felt unappreciated would be an understatement.

Okamon put a paw on my shoulder, "It's okay Bridget, Datamon will screw it up, he had the brains but not the instinct. If the Digidestined are smart, they'll use that against him, and when he screws up, Rex will see your value and give the D-Brigade back to you." He told me, trying to comfort me.

I paused for a moment, Datamon was simpleminded, he worked purely in statistics and numbers, but from what I'd seen of the Digidestined, they barely knew how to work as a group, let alone take advantage of a logic based Digimon like Datamon. However, I wasn't about to let Datamon take my spot! I didn't need a god damn army! I'd take those punk kids down myself! The look on Datamon's face when he sees I did his job by myself would be priceless!

I turned to Okamon, "If he wants to take my army? Let him, we'll destroy the Digidestined ourselves. Then Rex will know why **I'm** his second in command!" I said, Okamon seemed pleased with the idea, giving me an approving nod. The Digidestined were mine to destroy, I still owed blondie payback from defeating me at the camp…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

The Forest seemed to go on forever, it felt like it had been hours since we left the camp. "God my feet hurt! How much farther?" Ethan whined from the back. I took a look at the map Kentaruosmon had provided us, it seemed that his camp was quite a ways away from any other form of Digimon society, let alone The King's castle, which no, was not marked on the map. Because of course it wasn't, Kentaruosmon had said once that both the Nightmare Soldiers and Metal Empire factions had fallen under his rule, so I was going with the theory that his castle was in at least one of those two territories, and since the Metal Empire was closer, that's where we were headed.

Ross elbowed Ethan, "Stop you're whining! It's not like it's just down the street ya know." He chastised Ethan.

Kate was walking side by side with me, looking at the map as well, "It seems to me like we're a long ways away from anything right now. Although setting up camp at some point seems like it'd be like a good idea." She suggested, well it wasn't like I was planning on having us walk all the way there in one go! I wasn't completely out of my mind… yet.

However Ross felt differently, "Oh sure, we'll just set up camp in an unknown forest full of god knows what! Perhaps we can invite the Queens forces to tea while we're at it!" Ross replied sarcastically. As much as I wanted to disagree with him he **did** have a point. I didn't exactly feel comfortable trying to sleep in a forest full of Digimon who, let's be real, might not be the most friendly types. "We should keep going until we find a village or something, better to rest in a place we know is safe." Ross suggested.

It wasn't a bad plan per say, but there were holes, "Yeah but, if the queen is tracking us, it wouldn't be right to drag other Digimon into this or worse get their villages destroyed." I pointed out. I didn't like the idea of risking other innocent Digimon's lives if we didn't have to.

 _ **CRACK!**_

In my attempts to reason with Ross I had completely forgot to watch where I was going and managed to stumble over, and break, some kind of sign. What **must** the others think of the clumsy goof who just ate it over a sign. Kate and Commandramon both helped me to my feet, "You alright Jason?" Kate asked.

With a simple yes, I was back on my feet, Ethan picked up the now broken sign, and turned it over. The lettering on it was strange, some kind of strange language we'd never even hope to read. "What language is this thing written in? Klingon?!" Ethan said.

Gaomon approached form behind, "It's in Digiscript, let me see that." He said, Ethan handed him the sign, he looked it over as he held it in his gloved hands. "It says: "File Inn, up ahead"." Gaomon read, an inn? Out here? WHY?!

Ross seemed more excited than the rest of us, "See? Told you if we kept going we'd find something, and I don't know 'bout you guys, but staying in an inn sounds much nicer than camping in the woods." He said.

We all agreed to head for the inn, I think most of us were just happy about the prospect of sleeping on real beds instead of the cold, hard dirt we found ourselves sleeping on last night. I probably should have been more weary of a random Inn being in the middle of a god damn forest of all places, but everyone else was so thrilled about the Inn I couldn't bring myself to be the Debbie Downer by mentioning this little factioid.

So off we went in search of the fabled File Inn, I imagined a typical fantasy Inn, the one D&D players often found their characters in, full of crappy beds and shady inn keepers, I am **such** a geek!

The walk was a bit long, but the closer we got, the more and more wandering Digimon we wound up seeing, some even carrying luggage. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where **they** were going. "Wow, look at 'em all." Ethan commented.

Kate shook her head, "I'm starting to wonder if this Inn is going to have enough room for us." She added, yeah looking at all these Digimon tourists, it would be a miracle if we could even fit inside the building, let alone find a room for all of us.

However with a little bit of walking, we found it, the File Inn, and my… was it **big**! More like a hotel than an inn. Now the huge crowds made a bit more sense, this place was so lavish, I've been to comic conventions that weren't in hotels this nice! All of us just stared in awe, surprised we managed to find such a fancy hotel in the middle of the woods of all places. It was so comically out of place among the nature and trees.

Suddenly a Digimon came running up to us, he was a short but tubby little lizard, his skin was a rose color, but his belly was a lime green color with a weird and kind of worrying darker green skull design in the center. His face and arms were all covered in some kind of animal pelt, she shape of the nose suggested it was canine, but the purple tiger stripes said otherwise. A very large magenta horn poked through the forehead, his eyes were a deep purple. He came to a complete stop right in front of us. "Sorry! Very sorry! Ms. Rosemon said you'd be coming! I hope I didn't make you wait too long!" He apologized in a soft, but raspy voice that indicated a shy and timid personality.

"How the hell could she know we were coming?! We only just found out about this bloody place!" Ross blurted, while I wouldn't have been quite as… forward about it, Ross had a point, unless she's psychic, which given what I've seen from this world wouldn't surprise me in the slightest, how could she have possibly known we'd be coming?

The Digimon sort of stammered for a moment before responding, "She… she has eyes throughout the forest… s… someone must have told her you were headed our way. I… I wouldn't know… I… I'm just the bellhop!" He stammered. Okay that's kinda creepy, and probably should have told me that maybe we shouldn't stay here, but my legs were tired as hell, and quite frankly, a night at hotel creepy sounded much better than being torn apart by roving bands of wild Digimon.

The bellhop lead us into the building, the interior had a rather obvious floral motif, as everything looked like flowers and other plants, I guess that would be expected of someone called "Rosemon". Speaking of, a figure began to approach us, this one at first glance, seemed human, but as she drew closer it was made clear this was another Digimon, her "hair" resembled a rose more than hair, and covered her eyes completely, her body wasn't much unlike a model's, her outfit was a complex, tight red body suit with holes in the places you'd expect from someone trying to show off their body. Her legs were half covered by black thigh high boots, whose tops resembled budding flowers. Around each arm was wrapped a thorny vine, and she had some kind of flowery white cape draping down her back. Her body language was of someone who was quite confident, like a typical female CEO.

When she reached us, she grew a warm smile across her magenta lipstick covered lips. "Digidestined! I am Rosemon, and I cannot begin to tell you how happy we are to have you here at the File Inn!" She welcomed us, her voice was that of a typical woman in her thirties, but had a slight flirtatious undertone. "Please, do make yourselves at home, free of charge, anything for our great heroes!" She added.

A free hotel stay? I didn't know what surprised me more, the fact it happened, or that the Digital World actually has an economy with currency and everything. Rosemon then turned to the bellhop, "Psychemon, be a dear and show our esteemed guests to their suite." She said to the bellhop, revealing his name to be Psychemon.

Psychemon nervously nodded and proceeded to lead us to our suite. I happened to notice there were a **lot** of Digimon here, of varying shapes and sizes, some where robots, others were plants, some were mammals, and there were even a few dragons in the mix. "Wow… quite the diverse costumer base you've got here." I commented.

Psychemon seemed a bit startled when I spoke, but he answered anyway, "We get a lot of guests from all over the Digital World, some are refugees misplaced by the Digimon King's war, others are just vacationers."He explained, it made sense, I could imagine the King's evil villain rampages would misplace a few people. "S...some of them even get jobs here. R… Rosemon is a big believer in second chances." He added.

Something about Psychemon's behavior kind of worried me, he seemed to regard Rosemon with a hint of fear, she was probably a bigger level than he was so that might have been it, but something in my gut told me there was more to it than that, that there was something I was missing here but couldn't quite place it. But before I could try digging a little more, we arrived at our room. "H.. here you are… enjoy your stay." He said as we all funneled in.

The room was quite lavish, rose red carpets wall to wall, two large beds with velvet red comforters, and a few flower petal shaped chairs on the far right end. It was a nice looking room all things considered. Ross instantly flopped onto one of the beds, "Ohh man… after sleeping on the cold hard ground, this bed feels so goooood." He said, face squished against the soft mattress.

Ethan ran to the window, "Dude, you can see the whole back of this place from here! They've got a swimming pool!" Ethan said, me and Kate seemed to be the only ones here that seemed weary of this place given the look she was giving me.

Commandramon looked around the room, he was hard to read sometimes, making it hard for me to even guess what he was doing, or what he was thinking. Gaomon had joined Ethan in marveling at the hotel grounds, and Hawkmon was enjoying the softness of the bed like his partner. Kate turned to me, "Jason I don't like this, something about this place seems… off." She said.

It was nice to know I wasn't the only one who found this place kind of suspicious. "I know, you notice the way Psychemon shrinks inward when talking about Rosemon? What employee acts that way?" I added. My boss back at Walmart terrified me sure, but even I didn't stutter **that** badly when uttering his name. Not to mention Rosemon seemed pretty quick to give us a key to a room free of charge.

Commandramon approached us, "I've scoped the area, nothing suspicious in this room, at least nothing I could find." He stated, uhh… thanks Commandramon… although it was surprising he didn't find some hidden camera or something else, that whole "eyes all over the forest" thing was still kind of creeping me out.

Ross got up from his spot, "The hell you two worried about? Just lay down and enjoy yourselves!" He said, well excuse **me** for being cautious! The hell man!

Kate then turned to me, "I'm going to have a look around the building, and see what I can find." She said, before anyone could say a word she exited the room.

This caused Ross to let out a groan, "If she gets us kicked out I swear to god..." He said before burying himself in the bed again.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

That exit wasn't as graceful as I had planned, but I'm sure at least Jason understood. I wanted to get a good look around the building, see if I could find anything… out of place. Although my reasons for doing this were less about keeping everyone out of danger, than to put **myself** at ease… the fact I was the only one without a Digimon had begun to get to me since the attack this morning, I had never ran and hid like that in my life, back home I was known as a dare devil and thrill seeker, but I've been doing nothing but running away since I got here… I didn't like being afraid… so I was hoping a little walk around would help put my mind at ease.

The halls were still every bit as populated as they'd always been, it sometimes shocked me how many Digimon there were in here considering this hotel was in the middle of nowhere. I felt kind of out of place being the only human in a hall full of Digimon, how ironic it was that in a world full of weird digital creatures, **I** was the freak. I could almost feel some of their eyes staring at me.

"Excuse me Ma'am! Do you require service?"

I squeaked in surprise as I whipped around so see some kind of large robot Digimon, "Perhaps you would like a warm towel?" He said, offering me one. I told him no and he left, that was weird. I kept moving through the hotel, hoping not to run into anymore… ambushes.

I then stopped when I saw what seemed to be an office door, open just a hair. Curious, I moved in closer, and peaked inside to find a room full of tv screens, a security room was my first thought, I looked behind me to see if anyone was watching, they weren't, so I slipped right inside. The screens at first showed what you'd expect, security feeds from cameras in the halls and around the building, but as I looked further down… the placements became more… unusual…

Every hotel room was bugged it seemed, even the one we were in… I could see Ross had passed out on the bed… I guess that was inevitable wasn't it? But it was kinda creepy she had cameras in our rooms… why would she do that? Other feeds came from various points around the forest as well, telling me how she knew we were coming. What was all this for? Why would she need cameras all over the forest? My first guess was for approaching costumers, but some of these didn't even come near the hotel… what is she doing?

"OH DEAR!"

Before I felt someone grab me by the waist, I recognized the furry arms as Psychemon's, "What are you doing in here?! If Rosemon finds out she'll kill me!" He said, trying to drag me out the room. I could tell from his tone he was more scared than angry. He was surprisingly strong for such a little fella, managing to drag me out of the room.

I managed to wrench myself out of his grip, "What is all that?! How many cameras does she have?!" I asked, I wanted answers and I wanted them now, I could tell despite being able to drag me out the room, he was intimidated by me as he was clearly shaking in fear of me, "I… I … Uhh… P… please I don't know! Please don't hurt me!" He whimpered, covering his head with his hands.

"Is there a problem here?"

I turned to see Rosemon had found us, suddenly I was feeling a lot less willing to confront her about this… I just had a sinking feeling I'd end up regretting it if I tried.. However I didn't have to as one look at the open office door told her exactly what had happened, "I keep telling Agumon to close that door when he leaves for his break!" She said, closing the door with a soft click before returning her attention to us.

I decided to ask the important question, "Y.. you seem to have a lot of cameras..." I said, smooth Kate… smooth as ice.

Rosemon didn't seem mad that I knew about this, sounding with a slight chuckle instead. "OH! I sometimes forget you're not from this world, I have to keep an eye on the forest dear, we get a lot of refugees and rebels here, and I have to know if the Digimon King's forces are approaching so I can prepare the hotel's defenses." she explained.

How did I not even think of that? It made so much sense, the Digimon King seemed the kind of guy who'd attack a hotel. I felt like a complete idiot, "And the rooms?" I asked.

Rosemon shook her head, "Some Digimon have no manners at all, I record the rooms so I know if they break something I can charge them for it accordingly." She answered. "I apologize if I made you think I had any ill intentions for you or your friends, Psychemon, please escort her back to her room." She told Psychemon.

Psychemon proceeded to do just that, leading me back to the room, he didn't speak a word the whole time, just silently leading me back to my room, shutting the door quietly behind me when I got to it.

Everyone looked at me, "So… you find anything interesting?" Ethan asked, I was of course hesitant to tell them what I had discovered, but I kinda had to.

"She's got cameras in our room." I said point blank, Jason and Ethan both nervously looked around the room.

Commandramon gave me a sharp look, "Impossible! I searched the whole room!" He said, not much unlike a petulant child who was just told he wasn't getting ice cream.

Jason however had a different question, "You seem to be a lot less concerned about this than you should be, something happen?" He asked, of course he had to ask that didn't he?

I sighed, "I got caught, she told me she does it because people break her stuff all the time and she uses it to catch them." I admitted.

Ethan scoffed, "Creepy, but it makes sense." He commented, "I think you two are being way too paranoid about this… this crap is probably common place in the Digital World." He said, he could be right… we were in a completely different world, maybe it was just common practice? Who knows. "Anyways, we should look into settling in, because I don't know about you, but I'm beat." Ethan added, before we knew it we were settling in, assigning beds, none of us wanted to even try to move Ross, so I got to spend an awkward night sleeping in a bed with him… joy.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I can't believe Agumon left that door open, I had to fumble for excuses just to keep that girl from taking her friends and leaving. But thankfully she bought it, I hated doing this to them, but I had a hotel full of refugees and castaways to think about…

My phone rang, I knew who it was before I even picked it up, "I'm doing what you're asking me. It makes me feel sick to my stomach but I'm doing it." I spat, I didn't even attempt to hide how much I hated this person, but I was forced to work with them, or else more than just myself will pay the price.

"Good..." The voice on the other end said, "You just keep those Digidestined in your hotel for now… but sooner or later, I expect them to be dead… and your hotel will never have to worry about the King or his forces again..." He added.

My stomach turned at the prospect of what I was doing, they didn't seem like bad kids, but the safety of my guests was more important, "Don't worry, by this time tomorrow… you'll never have to worry about the Digidestined again." I said. "Goodbye… Datamon." I told him before hanging up.

* * *

 **A/N- Oh noez! I guess Kate was right to be paranoid after all! Will our heroes survive Datamon's plans? What are these plans? Find out next time!**

 **I had planned on this hotel thing being only one chapter, but this chapter was getting too long and I wanted to just get it out there.**


	8. The Fourth Digimon

**Chapter 8: The Fourth Digimon**

* * *

 _ **File Inn- Night**_

* * *

Everyone else had managed to fall asleep but me, I was still a bit shaken by what I had experienced in that security room, I knew that I probably should have accepted the excuse that Rosemon gave me, but something deep in my gut wouldn't accept it, some nagging doubt that just wouldn't go away, it kept me from sleeping, well that and Ross' snoring. I hated sharing a bed with someone I barely knew, but it was either that or the floor.

I happened to move my eyes towards Hawkmon, who slept curled up at the end of the bed like a dog. I never really gave it too much thought until now… but it sucked I was the only one in the group without a Digimon, it made me the weakest link by default, and I never liked the idea of being weak. I'm sure if Sam were here she'd tell me I was over thinking it and that I'd get one eventually. But she was all the way back in the real world, probably wondering why I hadn't come out of my room in two days.

I couldn't help but be envious of the other Digidestined, having a partner of their own, someone familiar with this insane world to confide in when it frightened them, someone to protect them when powerful Digimon tried to kill them, I wondered if I'd ever find mine? Who would it be? Would they even like me?

I tried to push the thoughts from my head, I always tried my best to stay positive, be the optimist not the cynic. But sometimes my mind just went off into negativity, uncontrollably. I tried to force the change by thinking about the day I came here… a day that had started like so many others…

* * *

 _ **Two Days Ago…**_

 _ **Dublin Ireland, Afternoon**_

* * *

"Yeah I'm going to be home soon Sam, I just got done riding through town… okay I'll see you soon…. Love you too… bye." I said to Sam over the phone before hanging up, I had taken my usual motorbike ride through town. I loved the freedom and rush that came with bikes, the wind in my hair, the speed, the danger, it made me feel alive. With a twist of the gear I was homeward bound. Sam could be so pushy sometimes I swear, but as I raced through the streets of Dublin, suddenly a tramp walked into the middle of the road! Panicking I skidded the bike in a desperate attempt to avoid hitting him, thankfully I managed to stop the bike before I hit the poor man.

The man however just stood there like a deer in the headlights, he didn't even seem the least bit bothered by the fact I had almost killed him. "Watch where you're going! I almost hit you!" I said, hoping to get **some** kind of reaction out of him.

However, he just reached into his pocket and tossed a disc at me, out of instinct I caught it, before I could say anything he just turned around, and left. I shook my head, picked by bike off the ground, and rode off.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

I pulled into the apartment me and Sam shared together, getting off my bike, I took the disc out of my pocket to get a closer look at it, "Digidestined" it said in black marker, was that even a word? I didn't even know… but whatever, I should probably just toss the thing, but some part of me really wanted to know what was on it. I slowly entered our apartment, there Sam laid on the couch, half covered in a blanket, "Oh hey Kate." She welcomed me.

I placed my helmet on the floor near the door, "Hey Sam." I said, I debated whether or not I wanted to tell her about the tramp, but I ultimately decided against it. Deciding to head into my room instead.

The room wasn't much to look at, the only thing I was interested in was the computer, almost automatically, I placed the strange disc into my computer. With a simple whir and click the disc retreated back into my PC, an icon labeled "Click Me" appeared on the Desktop. Almost instantly I clicked on it, the screen then went black before text appeared.

 _Connection established/_

 _/ Welcome Kate Peterson to the DIGITAL WORLD_

 _/ Please enter "Yes" or "No" if you wish to know more."_

I began to think that tramp just gave me a computer game, well I had nothing better to do today so why not? I typed yes.

" _/ Thank you, Digidestined of_ _Ireland_ _,_ _you are but one of a chosen few that will save the Digital World from those who enslave it."_

Yup, definitely a computer game, although what kind of game I didn't know, I wasn't exactly a gamer, video games were more Sam's thing than mine. But then… the text continued.

" _/ You seek adventure don't you Kate? The thrills, the dangers, you live for it, but you seem to be stuck in your average boring life… You wish to be free… free to see the world for all it's splendor..."_

How did it know that? I had to admit, as much as I loved Sam, sometimes I wished I could go on adventures all over the world, explore and be free, Sam was more of a stay at home kind of person. The text continued…

" _/ We can give you the adventure you seek Kate, we only ask that you help **us** to free ourselves._

 _Type "Yes" or "No" to proceed..."_

I must have stared at that screen for what felt like hours, not sure what to do, or even what was happening! But still… I couldn't bring myself to say no… I typed yes… and one final message appeared before everything went white.

" _/ Thank you, we hope you find what you seek..."_

* * *

 _ **Present Day...**_

* * *

Sometimes I wondered if I had made the right decision in accepting that disc's offer, or if I should have just went back to my usual life. This "adventure" was a bit more than I bargained for. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Digivice, the buttons still did f**k all, as I guessed my lack of a Digimon left it unable to activate. If I had known this was what waited for me after that message, I wondered if I still would have said yes…

I put it back in my pocket, and soon drifted off into sleep, trying not to let my dark thoughts hit me again…

* * *

 _ **The next Day…**_

* * *

"OH SICK! ROOM SERVICE!"

I shot awake as I saw Ethan and Gaomon carrying two silver trays. It seems the hotel had given us breakfast. "A little louder Ethan! I was almost able to keep sleeping!" Ross growled from next to me.

Hawkmon began to flutter around the trays, "Oh do hurry! I'm starved!" He said, hovering around Ethan like a mosquito. If there's one thing I've learned about Digimon in my short time being here, it's that they **loved** food, I remember they were a lot like this when the rebels gave us a meal back at camp too.

Jason and Commandramon soon joined us, "What did they give us?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, letting me know he had just gotten up. Ethan placed the tray on one of the beds and took the lid off, revealing a giant ham with utensils to carve it. "That… is a big ham," Jason commented.

Without even a second thought we began to tear into it, all the fears of what I had discovered had all melted away in favor of a good meal and conversation with friends. Over this short adventure we never really got a chance to really chat and be like friends. Always either too busy or being interrupted by random attacks by the Digimon King. It was refreshing to say the least.

Ethan told us about the misadventures he used to get into with his skater friends, Ross told us tales of costumers he had at his tattoo parlor, Jason entertained us with crazy stories about things that happened at his job, we all had stories to share, memories to recount. It was by far the best part of this adventure.

Even the Digimon seemed to enjoy it, despite them not knowing a thing about our own world, they still followed along anyway, laughing along with us, even Commandramon seemed jovial, something I don't think I've ever seen from the little fella. It was weird, we had only known each other for a day or two, but yet we got along like we had always known each other…

I even got to tell the story of how Sam and I went fishing, and she got pulled into the lake by a boat once. Something Sam always bopped me on the head for telling when we hung out with our own friends. Sometimes I wish Sam could have come with me, she would have loved this place.

After we had finished the meal, he all debated whether we wanted to just strike out on our journey again or hang around a little longer, me and Jason wanted to just leave, but Ross and Ethan both wanted to stay, Hawkmon and Gaomon both voted to stay with only Commandramon siding with us as far as Digimon went. So we were out numbered and decided to hang around a little longer.

We all left to do different things, Ethan wanted to check out the pool area, Gaomon electing to go with him to quote "keep an eye on him", Ross and Hawkmon decided to stay in the room. Jason and Commandramon chose to check around the hotel a bit, Commandramon claiming to want to "scope out the area for threats". Leaving me to explore the hotel on my own… again.

As I walked down the same hall I walked down last night something struck me, I was the only one here, I didn't even see so much as a bellhop out here. It struck me as odd, considering just how many Digimon had been here the night before. Maybe it was just early in the day? Perhaps, but it still unsettled me.

I kept up my pace as I rounded the corner, still no one in the halls, were we the only ones up? Then who brought our meal up to our room? I stopped when I heard footsteps behind me, I turned to see something duck behind one of the potted plants that littered the halls. Someone was following me, I turned my head to make it look like I was going to continue on my way, but then took a sudden turn to catch my stalker, it worked like a charm as the figure had moved to follow me before my eyes locked on to him.

It was Psychemon, he jumped when I turned in his direction, and began to cower in fear again, basically his default position from what I've seen of him. "Why are you following me?" I asked him.

Psychemon took a minute to answer, fearful of what I might do to him no doubt. "I… I'm sorry! I just… I wanna make sure you don't… don't go somewhere you're not supposed to," said Psychemon, twiddling his thumbs a little, not unlike a child who just got caught doing something he shouldn't have.

I hated to admit it, but I didn't have it in me to stay mad at Psychemon, he was kind of adorable with how shy and timid he was, and I understood he was just trying to do his job, and avoid the wrath of his boss. So I walked over to him and gave him a little pat on the head, he seemed confused by the gesture but accepted it anyway. "It's okay, I understand, I'm sorry I got you in trouble last night," I told him.

Psychemon didn't speak, only giving a small nod and a tiny whimper, so I decided to leave him alone. I think I've stressed the poor thing out enough already. Besides, I had some more exploring I wanted to do before the day was out.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Pool Area…**_

* * *

One could question the wisdom of trying to swim in a pool when you didn't have swim trunks with you, or even an extra change of clothes, but the prospect of a good swim was just too good to pass up. So I had stripped to my underwear and made a b-line for the pool, boxers worked as swimwear right?

Strangely enough me and Gaomon were the only ones there, but it didn't matter to me, it only meant I had the pool all to myself, and what a pool it was! It was massive! And the water was clear as crystal. I wasted no time in jumping in, the refreshing splash of water on my skin wiped out whatever grogginess I once had.

When I came back up I noticed Gaomon was still sitting poolside, "Dude you coming in? Water's great!" I called to him.

Gaomon shook his head, "I'm good." He said, god he was such a sourpuss sometimes! You'd think a **dog** Digimon would be a bit more fun.

I swam up to the side of the pool, "Come on man, don't be such a stick in the mud!" I said, trying to get my Digimon to at least try to have a little fun for once in his life.

But Gaomon stood firm, "I… I'm not exactly the swimming type." He said, wait… I think I know what's going on here! I noticed the way he looked at the water with a hint of unease.

I grew a little smirk, "You can't swim can you?" I asked him, Gaomon sort of jumped when I said this, yeah he couldn't swim, it was written all over that fuzzy face of his. I couldn't help but chuckle a little, Gaomon always acted so tough, but he was afraid of a little water! Wow.

Gaomon growled slightly, "I never learned okay! Besides, I don't like it when my fur gets wet! It gets heavy and I smell bad!" He said, trying to defend himself, I could tell he was embarrassed, and he was more trying to make excuses to himself more than me.

I shook my head, "Whatever man..." I said as I back peddled away, I had a feeling I wasn't going to see much downtime during this little adventure of ours and I was going to enjoy it as much as I could. It was so nice to take a break from all the running for our lives and just relax for once…

 _ **Whrrrrrrr...**_

My eyes shot open as I heard the sounds of a motor going off, before I could even question what it could be a whirlpool began to form around the center of the pool! Someone was draining it, why I couldn't even begin to comprehend but this was bad, I was still in here and the current it was creating was quite strong! "DUDE! TURN IT OFF! THERE'S SOMEONE IN HERE!" I called out, but if anyone heard me they didn't show it as the pool continued to drain, it was getting harder and harder to stay afloat at the current kept trying to drag me under, like someone was grabbing on my legs and trying to pull me under.

Gaomon noticed what was happening, "ETHAN! GET OUT OF THERE!" He called out, no sh**! What do you think I'm trying to do dude?! But the current was too strong for me as I struggled just to keep my head above water. Who needs a drain this strong anyways?! I then heard a small splash before I got sucked underwater. Oh god I can't believe this is how I'm going to die, one of the chosen four heroes who were supposed to overthrow the Digimon King, killed not by his armies, but by getting sucked down a pool drain.

However I felt something grab me and pull me to shore, I was so out of it I couldn't even keep focused. However after a few seconds I was able to recover, I coughed a little as my eyes began to focus, only to be met with a rather wet Gaomon standing over me, "Ethan? Ethan are you okay?" He asked me.

I know I probably shouldn't be thinking this after nearly drowning, but man did Gaomon look silly with his fur wet, he looked like a blue drowned rat. "Y.. yeah I'm okay," I said, trying to at least put him at ease. I managed to sit myself up, "The hell was that about?!" I asked out loud, who drains a pool like that? It was like someone was **trying** to get me killed!

Suddenly a cat like creature came running onto the scene, "Sorry! So Sorry! I had no idea you where in there! Please forgive me!" She said, bowing occasionally. Somehow this only made my near death even **more** embarrassing, I was almost killed by an absentminded white cat! Man would **that** be an interesting obituary…

Gaomon didn't seem all that forgiving, as I could hear him growl from behind me. "It's okay… I'm alright." I said, hoping to end this conversation before Gaomon tore the cat apart. I guess even Digimon weren't immune to the dogs hating cats cliché. The cat gave another bow before walking off.

I got to my feet as Gaomon crossed his arms, "Something doesn't seem right," He said, "Why would she drain the pool now? It seemed fine to me," He pondered. Yeah it did seem weird they'd drain the pool despite the water being perfectly clean, it's not like they were closing it for the off season or anything. "Come on, let's get you dried off." Gaomon said, with a nod I got up and we left the pool area, the other pool attendees offered us towels and apologies for the mishap… although Gaomon didn't seem to accept said apologies, man could he hold a grudge!

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Man, I could not get over how nice it was to have slept in a real bed for once, instead of the cold hard ground or that bloody slab of cement masquerading as a mattress I had back home. It was the best I'd ever slept in a **long** time, Hawkmon had left a couple of minutes ago to use the restroom, leaving me alone in the room, at least until I heard a knock on the door, suddenly a pink bird Digimon came through the door, "Housekeeping!" She said as she entered, she had a maid's apron on and a feather duster in her wing. Before I could say anything she wheeled in her housekeeping cart and went to work, dusting things and cleaning up the occasional bit of trash from the breakfast we had this morning.

I decided to ignore her and catch a little cat nap, I wanted to save as much energy as I could before we decided to hit the trail again, so I can at least look back at it fondly while I inevitably end up having to sleep on the ground again.

However suddenly some bastard decided to firmly place a pillow over my face! "What the hell are you doing?! MPHHH!" I tried to object but whoever was pressing the pillow against my face was pressing it hard enough to make it quite difficult to even breathe, let alone speak. This person was trying to kill me! I thrashed my limbs around hoping to god I managed to get them with a kick or punch but no luck as the pillow stayed pressed against my face.

"HEY! Get off him! What are you doing?!"

That voice was clearly Hawkmon, who thank god managed to finish his business in time to catch me being smothered with a pillow before my would be killer managed to finish the job! I then heard a tackle as the pillow went flying, I took a big gasp as air finally returned to my lungs. I managed to look to see Hawkmon had the maid pinned to the floor as she thrashed about trying to get free.

I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised it was her, she was the only other person in the room at the time. But that didn't answer **why** she decided to do this, why was she trying to kill me? I doubted Rosemon would appreciate her maid trying to kill her guests! "What the hell is **wrong** with you?!" Hawkmon snapped at her, "Why were you trying to kill Ross?!" He asked rather forcefully.

The maid grew a remorseful expression "I… I'm sorry! She… she told me to do it! I didn't want to! But I'd lose my job if I didn't at least try!" She said, this only made us even more confused.

"Who did?" I asked, I had a feeling I knew the answer, but it wasn't one that I liked all that much.

The bird seemed to debate answering, but one look at a rather angry Hawkmon told her what would happen if she didn't. "Rosemon! I… I didn't ask why! Please don't hurt me! I'm just trying to keep my job!" She said, yup called it, Rosemon set us up! Why? I had a few theories, but what bothered me more is how easily I stumbled into it, I never even bothered questioning why she was so quick to give us a free room in her busy hotel. Too enthused by the idea of a real bed and a safe room to see how suspicious the situation around me actually was.

Hawkmon looked over to me, "We have to tell the others! Who knows what that woman has planned for them!" He said, with a nod we both rushed out to warn the others, however the second we get out of the room I was hit by something very hard, and everything went black…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Commandramon seemed to be on the same page when it came to this place, neither of us trusted it, this was only confirmed when we came to the front door only to find it locked tight from the outside, I even gave it a very forceful shove just to check to see if it wasn't just jammed, it didn't even budge. "What kind of hotel has doors that lock from the _outside_?" I questioned.

Commandramon tried the door himself, getting a similar result. "One that wants to keep people **inside** instead of out." He said, the camera thing was suspicious enough on it's own, but this just sealed the deal, something was very rotten in Denmark. Commandramon's eyes then widened as he seemed to see something behind me, "LOOK OUT!" He said before suddenly tackling me to the ground like a linebacker sacking the quarterback.

Before I could even question why he did that I got my answer as a food service cart came crashing into the door! Someone just tried to kill us! With a food cart of all things! Commandramon quickly readied his rifle, before a gray rabbit thing went to retrieve the food cart, he looked at us with savage eyes, making it clear what happened was **no** accident, "Dammit! Hold still! I'm getting paid double to kill you two! And I'm gonna do it!" He snarled.

Getting paid double? To **murder** us?! Well if the locked doors didn't confirm Rosemon had ill intentions for us this sure as hell did! Why Rosemon was trying to have her underpaid employees kill us I had no idea! But I was beginning to regret digging into that ham now… for all I know it could have been poisoned! Suddenly the rabbit sent the cart right at us! Me and Commandramon both rolled out of the way of the giant metal contraption of death as it sped right by us. If this were the human world, I would **so** be giving this hotel a bad review on Yelp!

The cart then crashed into the far wall, tipping over on it's side, but then the rabbit came out from behind it with some rather large knives in his hands, which he proceeded to chuck in our direction like a knife thrower at the circus. Commandramon then fired his gun, shooting each one out of the air before turning to me, "We need to get out of here and warn the others!" He told me, he was right, if they were trying to kill **us** , no doubt they were trying to kill the others too! I just hoped none of them found success yet!

Both me and Commandramon began to leg it, dodging plates and mugs all along the way, this was insanity! All we did was spend a night! Why were they so intent on trying to kill us?! We eventually managed to lose the insane rabbit in one of the hallways. I took a minute to catch my breath "That… was **too** close." I said between breaths.

Commandramon then nudged me, before putting a claw to his mouth, telling me to be quiet, I turned to see two hotel workers dragging someone, upon further inspection it turned out to be Ross and Hawkmon, oh god please tell me they weren't dead! Commandramon then began to sneak up to them, me following closely behind.

However I then felt something strike me in the back of the head, and I blacked out…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

It took me a while to return to the room, but having Psychemon following me had limited my options as far as exploring went, however when I got there, everyone was gone! It was completely empty save for a few bits of furniture, and a pillow on the floor. I expected at least Ross to be here! Something wasn't right, "Where is everyone?" I asked, inspecting the room for any clues, I had this sinking feeling I couldn't quite shake that something was very wrong here… I then noticed Psychemon was in the room, I figured he would have left when he knew I was in my room, he looked very uneasy… like he really wanted to tell me something but for some reason couldn't.

He couldn't even seem to bring himself to make eye contact with me, as he kept looking off to the side, yeah something was going on here, and he knew what it was. "You know don't you?" I asked him. I saw how uncomfortable he got when I asked this, yeah he knew, but he was clearly too scared to tell me, normally I would have threatened him, but it was clear that would only make him clam up more. "Psychemon… please… if you know anything you need to tell me!" I pleaded with him, he only shrunk more inwardly. I could tell by his face he **really** wanted to tell me, but something was making him reluctant to do so, something he was really afraid of.

"Yes Psychemon, tell her."

I turned to see Rosemon walk in, I stood up, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!" I spat at her, I should have known when I saw that security room that she was planning on doing something to us.

Rosemon sighed, "I just want you to know it's nothing personal, Datamon simply made me an offer I couldn't refuse." She explained, "He said if I got rid of the Digidestined, then I would never have to worry about the Digimon King's army again, that every Digimon that came here would be safe from him and his soldiers. How could I say no? I have thousands of refugees and vacationers coming here for safety! I had no choice!" She added.

That BITCH! She sold us out for her god damn hotel! "And you'd risk the Digital World's freedom?! Over a promise you don't even know if he's going to keep?! We're trying to help you people! How could you do this?!" I snapped at her, her logic was so ridiculous! Who did she think these refugees were fleeing from?!

However all she did was grow angry, "And what?! I'm supposed to trust our safety to some humans who don't even know thing one about this place?! How many Digimon will die before you even reach his castle?! That's not even taking into account what will happen if you fail! I'm doing what I think is best, I'm putting the safety of these Digimon before anything else! I was hoping you'd understand, but apparently your own lives are worth more than the lives of the innocent Digimon that come here for safety!" She snapped at me, like she had any moral high ground at all! She then turned to leave, "Psychemon, be a dear and kill her for me? I have other affairs to deal with." She said before leaving.

I was screwed, Psychemon was too scared of Rosemon to defy her, and I knew I stood little chance against him considering how easily he was able to manhandle me last night. "I… I'm sorry..." He said before a spark started to form around his horn.

I had to think of something! There's no way I'd survive whatever it was he was about to fire at me, "Psychemon NO!" I said, causing him to hesitate, he didn't want to hurt me, for whatever reason, it was clear he was only doing this because he was afraid of what Rosemon would do to him if he didn't. "Psychemon you don't have to do this… I can tell you're not a bad Digimon, and that you're only doing this because you're afraid! But listen to me when I tell you you don't have to be afraid! We can help you! Please don't do something you'll regret for the rest of your life!" I pleaded with him.

Psychemon hesitated, but then the spark in his horn grew brighter, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" He snapped, "I can't go back there! I can't go back to the Nightmare Soldiers after what happened! Rosemon gave me a home! A safe place for me to stay where no one could hurt me ever again! I don't want to kill you… I really don't! But I have to!" He said, I was losing him, he admitted he didn't want to kill me, but he felt he had to… and I kind of understood why, The Nightmare Soldiers were one of the two factions Kentaruosmon had said fell to the Digimon King, I could imagine him not wanting to go back to whatever it was he had turned his homeland into.

I tired to move in closer, "You don't have to! We can protect you! Please just listen to me! I know you aren't like the others… you don't want this!" I said, I could see tears forming in his eyes as I drew in closer, "When I first met you, I wondered why you were always so timid… I think I know why now… you've never had someone try to reach out to you have you? You're always afraid of being hurt… but I promise you… I don't want to hurt you… just like I know you don't want to hurt me." I said, I saw the spark on his horn begin to dim, I was getting through to him… a lesser person would have taken advantage and knock him out, but I didn't want to betray him… he genuinely needed help… "Let me ask you something… are you really happy here?" I asked him.

He took a moment to think about it, his eyes wet with tears as the reality of his life began to hit him, "N… no..." He squeaked… I managed to move closer to him… all he needed was someone to be his friend… someone he could trust would never hurt him… I could tell just by how he looked at me it's all he ever wanted…

I embraced him, "It's okay… you don't have to be afraid anymore..." I told him, trying to comfort him, I heard him sob as the spark from his horn fizzled out, I got through to him! Thank god! I felt a warmth in my pocket, I let Psychemon go before fishing my Digivice out of my pocket, " _Digimon Synced_ " read the screen, me and Psychemon looked at one another for a good solid minute, we both knew what this meant. I finally had my Digimon partner… I never expected it to be the timid bellhop from the File Inn, but life's funny that way I guess.

Me and Psychemon then left the room, "Psychemon, where are the others?" I asked him again, hoping becoming my partner would give him the courage to help us out.

Psychemon wiped the tears from his eyes, "I… I think I know one place they'd be keeping them..." He said, he then began to lead me down the hall, we eventually came to a locked door, Psychemon reached into his pelt and fished out a key, "We never use the ballroom since it's still being renovated, if they're keeping your friends… it's in here." He explained, the door opened with a click, and there they were, all three of them tied together, their Digimon tied together in the far end of the corner.

Gaomon seemed to be the only on conscious as his face lit up when he saw me, "Kate! Thank goodness you're alright, we need to get out of here! This hotel is out of it's **mind**!" He said, yeah I kind of already knew that. I began to work on untying the Digimon, in case someone decided to interrupt me, it'd be better to have the Digimon out first since they can fight these things and we can't. "They knocked me and Ethan out shortly after we left the pool area… but it's good to see they at least didn't get you." He added.

Gaomon then saw Psychemon approach, "What is _he_ doing here?! _He's_ with _them_!" He snarled, Psychemon backed off, making a small whimpering sound.

I shook my head, "Not anymore he isn't, long story short, I didn't have a Digimon before, now I do." I said, hoping he'd be able to put two and two together.

However suddenly I was whipped by a vine of all things, knocking me to the ground. I then saw Rosemon walk up to me, putting a foot on my stomach to keep me from fleeing. "I should have known Psychemon wouldn't have the guts to kill you, no matter, I'm more than happy to do it myself!" She snarled.

I was screwed, she was a mega! And only one of us could Digivolve to even Champion, and I sure as hell wasn't going to be able to fight her! And everything had been going so well up to this point too…

* * *

 **A/N- Oh NO! Will our heroes escape Rosemon's thorny clutches? Or will they be pushing up daisies? Find out next time!**

 **Okay… I'm sure you're all wondering how I finally ended up deciding on Kate's partner… FRUIT MACHINE! Yes seriously, I used a website that allows you to enter names into a randomized fruit machine, and went with the Digimon it landed on, which was Psychemon. NewLegacyInc uses the same site to pick the games for their Royal Rumble charity streams which is how I discovered it. And yes, I DO feel ashamed I had to resort to random chance to choose her partner! I'm the best! Ughh…**

 **And I hate to leave you on ANOTHER cliffhanger, but the chapter was getting too long, and it's getting late… so yeah, I kinda had no choice but to end the chapter. Until next time! When in doubt, use fruit machine!**

 **11/3/17: Fixing up typos and prose again, I m bezt ritur!11!**


	9. Every Rose, Has it's Thorn

**Chapter 9: Every Rose has it's Thorn**

* * *

Rosemon just stood over me for what felt like an eternity, I had not ever the slightest clue how I was going to get out of this one, my friends were still all tied up, and even if they weren't, how the hell were they going to fight a mega?!

I could tell despite not being able to see her eyes she was watching me, she had to know how panicked I was, I wasn't exactly hiding it very well, "Yes you know it, don't you child? How hopeless this is… how, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try… you can't get out of this… well, not alive anyway." Said Rosemon.

She then applied pressure to my chest, digging her heel into my stomach. It felt like a pike being driven through my belly, I whimpered and choked as the pain was too immense even for so much as a simple cry for help. "Where's your bravado NOW human?! I thought you were going to stop the Digimon King?! How can you possibly hope to do that when you can't even save yourself from a hotel manager?!" Rosemon growled as she continued to apply pressure.

I couldn't even so much as focus on my surroundings, all that my mind could think about was the horrible screeching pain in my abdomen, and the uncaring, hateful Digimon that was causing it. I tried in vain to squirm out from under her but I couldn't even so much as budge her foot an inch. "Look at you… so pathetic… so helpless… deep down in that stubborn heart of yours you know this is the end. But you struggle regardless! Why can't you just accept death with dignity?!" Snarled Rosemon, clearly getting frustrated with my struggling.

"STOP! ROSEMON PLEASE STOP THIS!"

It was Psychemon, he was trying to plead with Rosemon, I doubted it would do any good, her mind was set on killing us, she thought she had to to save her guests. It's funny, in all the pain and panic, I had forgotten deep down she was just as scared as I was… a good Digimon turned to evil just to protect her guests… I guess there's an irony in there somewhere.

I managed on open an eye to see Rosemon had Psychemon by the throat, his attempt to appeal to her failing miserably. "You ungrateful little beast! I gave you a home! Protection from your former faction! And **this** is how you repay me?! Betraying me, and for what? HER?!" She said, grabbing him by the head and forcing him to look at me. "She who's too weak to even cry for help! I hope it was worth betraying every Digimon in this hotel just to save some foolish girl!" She snarled before violently tossing him to the ground. Psychemon whimpered as he tried in vain to get to his feet, but Rosemon's slam had taken what little fight he had away.

I was once again on my own, Gaomon despite being awake, was still tied to the others, and even if he wasn't, he'd still be three levels below her. It really was hopeless… wasn't it?

However I then noticed that Psychemon was once again on his feet, I could tell from the look in his eyes he wasn't ready to let this happen, "Rosemon please! This isn't you! Please… The King has already warped my former faction, don't let him do it to you too! Let her go!" He pleaded with her, I now figured out what he was doing, he was doing what I did, trying to appeal to her better nature. He knew he couldn't take her in a physical fight, but a war of words was much more feasible.

But Rosemon simply whipped her former bellhop with her vines, sending him tumbling back into a wall, "Don't you DARE try to talk to **me** about corruption! I've done my best to keep the Digimon King from taking this hotel from me! To keep it a safe place for Digimon to escape to! And if compromising my own principles by killing these humans is what I must do, then so be it." She said.

However Psychemon wasn't on his own, "And for how long?!" Gaomon chimed in, "You really think the Digimon King is going to live up to his end of the deal? Once we're dead, he'll have no reason to keep his word!" He added, bringing up a very good point, the Digimon King had no reason **not** to go back on his word, even if she did kill us, he wasn't going to let those rebels in her hotel stay untouched.

Rosemon however, "LIES! He'll keep his end of the deal! Or… or" She said, clearly uncertain.

"Or what?!" Gaomon barked back, "You have nothing else he wants, all you have is his word, and you and I both know that isn't worth much." He said, clearly having the advantage in this exchange.

I felt the pressure on my abdomen loosen slightly, she was conflicted now, the reality of the situation hitting her quite hard, however, "Even if that's the case… it's not a chance I'm willing to pass up! If I let you leave here, he'll know I didn't keep my end of the deal! And he'll definitely come after the File Inn then! I can't risk that!" She said, also bringing up a good point, letting us go would paint a huge target on the File Inn… oh god this is not going well!

However, now that I wasn't being crushed under her weight anymore, "And how many more will die because you killed us?!" I yelled, managing to work my way out from under her, "Even if he lives up to his part of the bargain, the Digimon outside of it will never be safe!" I yelled, I was desperate to help the Digimon get through to her, she wasn't a bad Digimon, she was just doing what she thought was right, and if I could just get her to see what she was doing wasn't right…

Rosemon snapped her vine whip right at me, getting me in the cheek, there was a small sting as the thorns of the whip had cut my cheek, but I stood firm, "And what? I trust **you** to save us?! Don't think I don't know why you're doing this! You **know** you can't take me in a fight! So you're trying to defeat me with words instead! But it won't work!" She snapped.

There was an uncomfortable silence that befell the room, two minds locked in a game of words and neither willing to give an inch, two minds carefully planning their next move, the one that would tip the scales in their favor.

However, I had the better hand, "Then why haven't you done it yet?" I asked her, she froze… letting me know that I had her, "If you were so sure killing us would save your hotel, then what are you waiting for! Why bother tying them up?! Why not just kill them now?! You have the power! You have the know how! But what you don't have… is the certainty!" I roared, I had her on the ropes now… I could tell by the look on her face that the doubt I thought was there existed, "So what are you waiting for?! Kill me and my friends, have a roll of the die and see what you get! Because that's what this is at the end of the day… a gamble… but can you live with yourself if you roll snake eyes? You and everything you ever worked for will be destroyed and the only people who could have stopped it will be dead by **your** hands! So go ahead! Test your luck! KILL ME!" I challenged her.

Rosemon gritted her teeth, vine whip in hand, I could tell even from here she was having an internal battle, the risks of her next action taking their toll on her. Her face drenched in hot sweat, hand trembling with the knowledge it's next movement could either spell salvation or doom for her and everything she ever worked for. I would be lying if I said I wasn't **really** hoping she'd decide against it. She then let out a frustrated yell as she flailed her vine whips violently, causing the chandelier above us to be cut from it's place, I barely managed to move out of the way in time as the lighting fixture crashed to the ground with a loud crash, sparks of electricity crackled and soon fire followed as one of the sparks managed to land on the rug.

I stumbled backwards, almost getting caught in the inferno! That crazy bitch! She was going to get us all killed! However, Rosemon soon found herself caught in the inferno! "NO! AGHH! NOOO!" She wailed as she was engulfed, the room was lighting up fast! My friends would be burned alive if I didn't hurry! I took one of the broken pieces of the chandelier and used it as a makeshift knife in order to cut the rope holding the Digimon. Gaomon being the only one of the group not unconscious, rushed over to the tied humans and began to tear at the rope with his teeth.

Me and Psychemon began to try to get them to come to. "Come on Soldier boy! Up and at 'em!" I yelled as I slapped Commandramon's face several times, we wouldn't be able to carry everyone, so getting them to wake up was important! The room was an inferno now, and that fire was getting **way** too close for my liking.

Thankfully, Hawkmon had come too at least, "Wh… what's happening?" He said groggily, before he noticed it was Psychemon standing over him, of course he freaked out and began kicking at him, "YOU NO GOOD SCOUNDREL! YOU SET US UP! YOU… YOU!" He screamed as poor Psychemon tried in vain to calm him down, considering the situation we were in right now we **really** didn't have time for this!

I then felt movement from under my arms, "Kate… the room is burning and you pinning me to the floor isn't helping me any..." I heard Commandramon say, well at least he was awake now, and as emotionally detached from the situation as always. I quickly let him go, Commandramon didn't waste a word, rushing over to Jason who, while free now, was still out cold. He lifted Jason's unconscious body over his shoulder, "We have no time to waste! The hotel's going to completely go up any minute! We need to get out of this room before the fire blocks our only exit!" He said, he had a point, that fire was getting uncomfortably close to the door.

We all managed to get our unconscious friends and rush out the door to find the hotel whipped up into a frenzy as the fire was spreading out of the room and into the halls! All this from a tiny electrical spark! Psychemon quickly took the lead, "There's a fire exit near the back of the building! Follow me!" He said, we all agreed and followed him.

"YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE!"

We all turned to find a rather crazed looking Rosemon standing behind us, "Look at what you've done! If you think I'm going to let you escape with your heads still attached you've got another thing coming!" She yelled.

Yeeeeah how about no? Me and the others just legged it as fast as we could, the weight of our unconscious friends being a **real** burden right now, as not only did we have to outrun the fire, but a crazed Rosemon on top of it! God for once can't things just be easy? But then again, nothin' worth doing is easy, and saving my friends was **certainly** worth doing!

We thankfully managed to somehow lose Rosemon down a hall, however the hotel began to rattle and shake a little, "Do I wanna know what that was?" I asked no one in particular.

Commandramon looked around the building, "The structure is weakening from the fire, we may only have seconds to get out of here before it collapses!" He said, oh **come on**! As if our situation wasn't bad enough right? We all legged it as fast as we could, as bits of burning wood and plaster fell around us, god this place sure lit up fast didn't it?

Psychemon then stopped at a door, "This is it!" He said, pointing towards said door, without so much as a single word everyone began to funnel out onto the fire escape. Home free! Well after we get down from the fire escape of course… however…

 _ **CRASH!**_

Rosemon burst through the walls, "You've gotta be kiddn' me!" I commented, we all quickened our pace down the stairs as Rosemon gave chase, ya know, for a mega level Digimon, she wasn't very fast was she?

She began violently lashing her vine whips at us, "GET BACK HERE! GET BACK HERE AND DIE!" She screeched, yeah I think it was safe to say Rosemon had completely lost her mind, I guess that's what happens when you burn your own hotel to the ground trying to kill a bunch of kids and their furbies.

We all managed to get down the fire escape safely, running as fast as we could to escape the hotels crazed owner, we found a gathering of guests and employees at the front, letting us know at least a good number of them had managed to get out in time.

However, we turned to see Rosemon hadn't lost us yet, "You little weasels! Look at what you've DONE! You've turned my hotel into an inferno!" She growled.

I slowly backed away, "You were the one that whipped the chandelier you crazy woman!" I pointed out, this only managing to make her even angrier as she roared defiantly.

She then slowly began to approach us, "Would you believe I actually felt guilty about trying to kill you? I did! But after… after **this**? NOT ANYMORE!" She screamed as she grew closer.

However, the crowd had managed to overhear everything, and from the sounds of things…

"You burned down the hotel Rosemon?!"

"Why are you trying to kill the Digidestined?! They're trying to save us aren't they?!"

"She's gone crazy! Look at her!"

"She's betrayed us! How could you do this to us?!"

… they didn't seem too impressed, I couldn't say I blamed them frankly, they were just trying to enjoy a nice vacation, or seek refuge after losing their homes, and captain crazy here burns the damn thing to the ground!

Rosemon herself seemed stunned as her former guests began to surround her, bombarding her with questions as to why she would try to kill us, "Y… you don't understand! The King said if I killed them… the hotel would be safe!" She tried to explain.

Kind of rang hollow as the hotel she was _claiming_ to want to protect was currently burning to the ground. "Yeah… and how well did that work for ya lass?" I asked with a smirk, I couldn't help but find the irony hilarious. But this seemed like a good opportunity to try one more time to appeal to her, "Do you see now? How much you've lost already trying to pursue this stupid deal? You've destroyed the very thing you were trying to protect." I said, Rosemon began to cry… it was finally beginning to hit her how much she'd screwed up. "Don't make it any worse… focus on rebuilding instead… and let us give it a better world to be a part of… what do you say?" I said.

Rosemon paused for a moment, debating with herself whether she wanted to forgo trying to kill us, but the Digimon around her began to encourage her…

"Yeah! We can fix it!"

"Make it even better than it was before!"

"Please Ms. Rosemon? We'll help!"

Rosemon seemed genuinely touched, which caused her to finally relent, "Very well… I'm sorry Digidestined… I shouldn't have let my fear consume me… you were right… and I was wrong." She admitted, finally… I had gotten through to her… "But I want you to promise me that you will stop the Digimon King, so the new File Inn can exist is a safer world, free from his influence." She added.

I gave her a nod, "I will." I told her.

Satisfied by the answer, she returned her attention to the Digimon, "Okay! First things first, we need to put out the fire." She instructed everyone, soon enough everyone was grabbing buckets and rushing off to get water. Me and the Digimon all moved our unconscious friends out of the way as we waited for them to come to, man, would I ever have a story for them when they woke up.

I then saw a shadow approach from behind, "I can't believe we actually managed to get through to her." Said Psychemon.

I turned to face him, "Yeah, I guess all it took was the customers she was trying to protect to help her see what she was doing wasn't right." I commented, watching her conduct the other Digimon as they worked on dousing the fire.

Psychemon then let out a sigh, "So… I guess I'm… I'm a part of the group now?" He asked, in all of the excitement we never really got to discuss him being my partner now.

I shot him a toothy grin, "As every bit a part as I am!" I said cheerfully, I guess I was finally getting to enjoy finally having a Digimon of my own now that the dust had settled.

Psychemon rubbed the back of his head, "I hope our adventures aren't… that crazy in the future..." He said, managing to get a laugh out of me.

I patted him on the head, "I can't make any promises, but with a little luck… we can at least avoid burning down a hotel." I said. Surprisingly earning a little laugh from Psychemon, the first time I'd ever heard him laugh. Yeah, I think he's going to fit into our little group just fine… as soon as they wake up of course…

But I won't lie, when I came to the world, it was off the promise of adventure, and boy… did I **ever** get one so far… yeah… I think I could get used to this place…

* * *

 **A/N: And thus the File Inn arc ends!**

 **I'm sure you could tell I really struggled to get our heroes out of that one since, well I couldn't have rookies beating a mega in a fight, but I think I came up with a pretty good solution… even if it did end with the File Inn a smoldering pile of rubble…**

 **11/3/17: More corrections of embarrassing spelling errors and bad dialogue. Proofreading is important kids.**


	10. Wrath of the Ninjamon

**A/N: Before we begin I want to apologize for taking so long to get another chapter out, I got hit with writer's block again and decided to take a little break from writing to get some ideas going. Sometimes I need to take a step back to get some interest back.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Wrath of the Ninjamon**

* * *

God was I ever glad to be out of that insane hotel, after me, Jason, and Ross woke up, Kate explained everything, Rosemon's deal with The King, the hotel burning down, and the fact that Psychemon, the neurotic bellhop, was now her partner. So now we had a complete set of Digimon at least, but now we needed to figure out where to go next, Jason being the one with the map, decided we'd just head north and keep going until we happened upon something, and that we weren't staying at Inns anymore, after what had happened I didn't blame him.

But it didn't take long for the long trip began to take it's toll, everyone was getting tired and wanted nothing more than to just stop walking. "Dude, my legs are killing me!" I said, god I was really beginning to regret all those times I skipped PE class.

Ross simply rolled his eyes, "Will you stop whining? We'll never get this done with if we keep stopping every time your little legs start to hurt!" He snapped at me, asshole! Excuse me for only having so much energy!

I went to argue back but Gaomon held me back and shook his head, silently telling me it wasn't worth it. God did I not like Ross, he was such an asshole. It seemed every time someone suggested an idea he shot it down, and every time we had a legit problem, he'd mock us for it. To be quite frank, I'm getting kinda sick of it.

Jason suddenly stopped, "According to the map we should be coming up to another "Wind Guardians" village," Jason said, and sure enough, we happened upon a small village, it was kinda weird looking though, just like most things in this kooky world. The buildings were Japanese in design, like they had been ripped right out of an old samurai movie, and it's inhabitants? Pink brids… pink birds as far as the eye could see.

In the middle of the village was a statue of some kind made of what appeared to be brass, it was of a nine tailed fox, why they had this I had no clue but I'm sure I'd find out eventually.

It didn't take long for one of the villagers to find us, it approached with a warm smile on it's face, thank god, someone friendly for once. "Hello! And welcome to our village!" She greeted us. Soon enough the entire village descended upon us, their voices growing louder and more numerous as they surrounded us.

"Who are they?"

"I wanna see! I wanna see!"

"Maybe they can help us!"

All of us just sort of froze, what the hell were we supposed to do here? We were surrounded on all sides by pink birds! After the whole thing with Rosemon, I was a bit weary of other Digimon, especially the ones that seem a bit **too** happy to see us. However, suddenly the crowd grew quieter, as a new figure began to approach us.

He was about the size of an adult human, but he was clearly a Digimon as he shared the avian appearance of his little pink friends. He wore a red and gold kimono of some kind, and had a straw hat on that hid most of his avian face save for a crack in the had that revealed one of his golden eyes. He had two wings that jutted out his back like those of an angel, he had two katana strapped to his sides. His face was fixed in scowl that would give Batman a run for his money as he looked all of us over.

The bird samurai thing crossed his arms, "Who are you? And why are you here?" He asked in a slightly hushed tone. I tried not to show I was a bit intimidated, but those katana he had made if kind of hard for me to not be jumpy.

Jason decided to be the one to break the uncomfortable silence, "W… we were just passing through… we're kind of on a mission to stop the Digimon King," He explained, clearly just as intimidated as I was given how he stammered slightly.

The bird man's pupils shrunk a bit when he heard the Digimon King mentioned, "You must be the Digidestined then, I do hope you haven't brought that foul man's troops to our village, we have enough to deal with here already." He said, I saw him move one of his hands towards one of his katana, causing my heart to start pounding, I would rather **not** be sliced to ribbons by a bird man thank you.

Kate stepped forward, "What do you mean by that exactly?" She asked, I noticed the bird man tense slightly, oh god Kate's gonna get us killed isn't she?

The bird man seemed to think it over a bit, as if debating whether he wanted to tell us or not. "We've been having trouble with a local clan of Ninjamon, they've been raiding the village for food and even kidnapping a few of the Hyokomon from the village." He explained, "That's why you only see Biyomon here, the remaining Hyokomon are hiding in their homes hoping to avoid the same fate." He added, giving a name to the pink birds that currently surrounded us.

Ross then decided to butt in, "And what about you? Who are you exactly?" He asked, clearly not as cautious about this guy as the rest of us, but no less crass than he always was.

The bird man growled slightly, "I am Buraimon, I'm in charge of protecting the village from threats these rookie levels can't combat, there were others like me but, we lost most of them to the Digimon King's troops, leaving me and me alone to defend this village," He explained, it did explain why he was so tense with us, it was his job to protect the village after all.

We all sort of looked at each other, not entirely sure hot to proceed here, I didn't want to spend more time around samurai chicken man here than I had to, he seemed just as distrustful of us as we were of him given his body language, it was like he was waiting for an excuse to hack us to pieces. "I insist you eight leave now before you bring that man's armies here, I've worked hard to keep this village as safe as it is, and I intend to keep it that way," Buraimon warned us.

Fine by me, I'd rather not hang around here longer than I had to, ever since Rosemon tried to kill me with her pool drain I didn't like being around these Digimon, well at least, not the ones that weren't our partners. You never knew what these things were up to, they were like humans, some were good, others were assholes, except Digimon were assholes with super powers!

I went to leave but Kate grabbed me by the hood. "Hold on! We aren't leaving you guys to the mercy of those Ninjamon!" She said, oh come on Kate, leave it alone man! He clearly wants us to leave! Why do we have to poke the sword wielding bird man?

Buraimon's eyes widened in a mix of shock and anger, "It's not your problem! You endanger this village more and more the longer you stay here! I won't ask again, leave now or I will force you!" He said, unsheathing his Katana to show he wasn't screwing around.

However, Kate the ever stubborn girl, stood her ground. "Someone has to do something! Let us help you!" She pleaded with him, god Kate is going to get us killed isn't she? What did I do to deserve this? Was I a guy that kicked puppies, burned down the orphanage, and left the toilet seat up in a past life? Why is she arguing with the samurai bird?! He had swords! She didn't!

Psychemon seemed to share my concerns as he stood between Kate and Buraimon, "Kate please! You're only making him more angry!" He pleaded with his tamer, trying to get the stubborn red head to understand who she was messing with here.

Buraimon glared at Kate, "You should listen to your friend, I don't want or need your help, and all you'll get out of pushing me like this, is a few inches shorter." He threatened her.

However, suddenly the Biyomon decided to butt in, "Wait! Please Buraimon! Let them help us!" One said, "We can't keep going on like this! If they can help us it's worth it!" Another pleaded.

It took a moment of thinking before the samurai bird relented, sheathing his swords. "Fine… but if the Digimon King destroys this village, I'm holding you all responsible," He said. Great… just great, thanks Kate, now we have to stay in yet another place with a person who wants our heads on a pike! "Come this way, you need to be filled in more if we're going to do this right." He said, motioning for us to follow.

I went to do so, but Gaomon stopped me, "Can we talk?" He asked me, confused as to why he wanted to talk, I gave him a nod, "You seem tense Ethan, are you alright?" He asked me, was it really that obvious?

"Kinda, ever since Rosemon I kind of have an issue trusting these random Digimon we come across is all." I confessed, I don't know how Gaomon would take that statement, being a Digimon himself, but I was hoping he'd understand why I felt so uneasy.

Gaomon sighed, "I understand Ethan, but Kate's right, we can't just leave this village to the mercy of those Ninjamon. It wouldn't be right," He explained.

I shook my head, "I get that, but I don't want to end up getting into another situation like the one back at the File Inn." I said.

Gaomon looked back at the group then back to me, "Ethan, you don't have anything to be afraid of, I won't let something like that happen to you again, I promise," He said, I couldn't lie, that helped me feel a little better, knowing that I at least had Gaomon watching my back, This was the same Digimon that got over his inability to swim, **just** to save my sorry ass. "Come on, we should catch up to the others before they lose us." He said, and with a nod we rushed to catch up with the rest of the group.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Okamon had spent all day tracking those damn kids, they had covered quite a bit of ground since we last met, they were quite deep in Wind Guardian territory, one of the many factions that had yet to give into the Digimon King's rule… I hadn't seen hide nor hair of Datamon or the D-Brigade since my search for the Digidestined began.

Okamon kept sniffing the air, trying to scent track the Digidestined, "They've been here, recently." He said, studying the ground, "They're close." He added before walking forward, me following closely behind. God I hope we find those punks soon, this was becoming annoying and I hated being in this stupid fake forest.

It wasn't exactly comfortable being in enemy territory like this, I kept expecting a member of Wind Guardians to attack us, I'd been ambushed by rebellious Digimon more times than I liked to admit, the last thing I needed was some idiot Digimon thinking they could get the jump on the queen.

But taking down these Digidestined had become a personal matter, I wasn't going to let some idiot computer program like Datamon take **my** spot at the Digimon King's side. Not to mention I needed to get back at that blonde kid for humiliating me with one of my own soldiers, I still couldn't believe he thought these things were real, it was all just a simulation, nothing more… he'd learn that eventually… one way or another.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Buraimon had sat us all down in one of the houses, the room illuminated only by the few lanterns that hung from the ceiling, giving the room a dark and intimidating hue. "The Ninjamon have been our enemy for many years..." Began Buraimon, "But because we had such strong defenses, they almost never attacked us directly, instead choosing to try to get us when we were out hunting for food. But that all changed when the Digimon King sent his minions to our village, they managed to kill most of my fellow Buraimon but we managed to drive them out… the others died from their wounds or where picked off by the Ninjamon during their first raids. Now, we're practically at their mercy, they send squadrons of at least eight Ninjamon every night, I try to fight them off but they always manage to make off with something… or someone," Said Buraimon with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Sound tactic," Commandramon commented, "Send a group of eight to raid, four to overwhelm the one Digimon that can fight back while the remaining four take what they want." He added, I would say it's more cowardly than anything, but I guess Commandramon was used to dirty tactics having been one of the Digimon King's lapdogs for so long.

Ross shook his head, "And you never thought to ask for help? Seems to me these Ninjamon have been kicking your ass for a while now," He commented, yeah go on and twist the knife Ross! Despite Gaomon's promise he wouldn't let anything happen to me, I still didn't want to risk Buraimon slicing us to bits, I just wish Ross would stop poking the bear.

Buraimon sighed, "You don't understand, I can't just leave the village, I'm the only real defense the village has. If I left, the Biyomon and Hyokomon would be helpless, and I can't send one of **them** out because there's no knowing what's out there, there are a lot of violent, feral Digimon out there who would make quick work of a helpless rookie, so I had no choice but to try to handle this myself," Buraimon explained.

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore, we'll stop those Ninjamon," Said Kate, I'm glad **she** at least had confidence. Then again, if we couldn't take a group of puny Ninjamon, what hope would we have against the Digimon King?

Buraimon let out a sigh, "I hate having to entrust my village to a group of strangers, but it seems I don't have much of a choice here," He said, hanging his head down in shame. I guess having to rely on a group of humans to do **your** job was a bit of a blow to his ego, I felt kind of bad for the guy, all his friends were wiped out, leaving him alone to try to defend his village.

After that Buraimon told us we would have a home to ourselves for the night, and that he'd let us know when the Ninjamon would make their move. Under normal circumstances, having two nights in a row of getting a free roof over your head and real beds to sleep on would be a luxury. But after Rosemon when psycho killer on us, I couldn't shake the paranoia, visions of me fighting to not get sucked into the pool drain kept playing in my head over and over again. I tried my best not to show my anxiety, last thing I needed was for the others to start fussing over me, or in Ross' case, make fun of me for it.

I know Gaomon said he wouldn't let something like that happen to me again, but how much could he really do? He was just a little blue dog wearing boxing gloves, not exactly the optimum of badassery. God I hated this world, I'd take my dad any day over this deathtrap of a world, at least my dad didn't try to murder me!

The others didn't seem to share my fears, as they were all too quick to settle in, claiming a bed of their own, which naturally, to fit the Japanese theme this place had, were futons. They seemed so calm, you'd think after our stay at the hotel from hell they'd be less trusting of random Digimon giving them room and board, but it seemed I was the only one who was being sensible here.

I decided to walk out of the home for a bit to clear my head, the night was fast approaching, as the tiny bits of remaining sunlight began to retreat away in favor of the darkness of night, it always struck me how similar yet different the Digital World was to the real world, the outdoors felt every bit the same, but there was always that strange fakeness to remind you that you were far from home. It messed with your head so much, I guess this was what people in Lovecraft stories felt like when they gazed upon the horrors they inevitably saw, this gnawing feeling of wrong that mixed with the world you knew so well, creating an almost maddening contradiction.

I then began to wonder about back home, if my dad had even noticed I was gone or not, it had to have been at least a few days since I came here, I never really gave that much thought to how messed up it was that I had left my entire life behind in another dimension until now… how I was just ripped from my on home and dumped into this madhouse I barely understood, traveling with people I barely knew, god why me?

I heard the sounds of floor boards creaking from behind me, I turned to see Gaomon had decided to join me outside, "You okay? You left kind of abruptly." He asked as he sat down next to me, once again deciding to play therapist with me.

I shook my head, "I'm just… I've got a lot going on in my head right now, thinking about back home… if anyone even knows I'm gone." I admitted, I don't know why I felt so comfortable talking with Gaomon, I've only known him about as long as the other Digidestined and their partners. But I think I just wanted someone to talk to about my problems, a sympathetic ear to hear my woes.

"You never mentioned much about your world," Gaomon pointed out.

I sighed, "There's not much to say," I began, "I was just another skate rat living with his single father," I added. "The last time I saw him, we argued about my grades, he and I were always arguing about something… I'm actually surprised by how much I miss that..." I said, it was insane to think something I once used to dread could become almost nostalgic, something I longed for…

Gaomon looked off to the side before returning his gaze to me, "I wouldn't know much about fathers, we Digimon don't exactly have parents." He said, wait… what? How the hell does that work?! I decided against asking him, afraid I'd offend him, "You miss him though? Don't you?" He then asked.

I never thought I'd say it, but… "Yeah… I do, we may have fought, but we still loved each other… I never really appreciated how hard he worked to keep us in one piece after mom left until now… all he wanted was for me to make it in life, and I yelled at him for it… I wonder if… if he's still mad at me now… or if he even knows I'm gone?" I said more to myself than Gaomon, the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" was holding quite true for me, I came here to escape my life, only to want it back a few days later, the irony was quite hilarious from an outside perspective.

Gaomon put a gloved hand on my shoulder, "I wish I knew what to tell you, but I don't know your father, but I do know that if he cares about you as much as you say he does, if he hasn't moved on from that fight yet, he will by the time you see him again." He said, yeah _if_ I saw him again.

I sort of curled inward, almost in a fetal position, "But what if I don't make it back? I've only been here for a few days and I've almost died twice!" I pointed out.

Gaomon shook his head, "I told you before, I won't let anything happen to you, Ethan you need to trust me and the others to have your back. You're not alone in this… we're a team, you need to stop letting your fears get to you… and trust we can keep you safe," Gaomon told me, seemingly almost offended given his tone.

I let out a small sigh, "I don't know man…" I said, burying my head in my hands, the stress of my situation was boiling over, and I knew Gaomon was trying to help, but words only did so much…

Suddenly we heard a crashing sound in the distance, Gaomon and I looked to each other, both silently agreeing we should check it out, Gaomon took point, making an effort to keep me behind him. We found a group of small head things attacking Burainon, they were all giant heads with legs and arms, each with a red hood over their faces save for their exposed mouths, a singular katana strapped to their backs.

I took out my Digivice to confirm my theory as to what they were, and lo and behold, they were exactly what I thought they were.

 _ **Ninjamon**_

 _ **Level: Champion**_

 _ **Type: Mutant**_

 _ **Attribute: Data**_

 _ **Family: Nature Spirits**_

 _ **Attacks: Ninja Knife Throwing, Iga-ryū Iaijutsu, Ninja Hopping, Iga-ryū Ougi Bunshin no Jutsu**_

 ** _Ninjamon are mysterious Digimon known for their stealth and technique, they often group in clans, some go of to wander the Digital World to train before rejoining their clans._**

I guess the Ninjamon didn't want to wait to go about their raids at night, Buraimon was doing surprisingly well considering he had four Ninjamon to fight off, Buraimon slashed at the Ninjamon, sending them tumbling back before turning his attention to me, "Don't worry about me! I can handle these guys, go find the others before they make off with anything!" He said before going right back to the fight with the Ninjamon.

Me and Gaomon agreed and rushed off to try to find those Ninjamon, "God, they could be anywhere in this village! Where do we even **begin** to look?!" I asked, "Maybe we should get the others? I think having more numbers would help." I added.

But Gaomon shook his head, "No time, we have to stop them now before they kidnap someone." He said, not even waiting for an answer he rushed off, which told me he had zero interest in discussing it any further than that.

However, I decided to try to get the others anyway, I figured Gaomon would be fine for now, and it wouldn't take me that long anyways, so I darted off to do just that, heading for the house they were parked in. It wasn't too far as I could already see it in view, I was about to rip open the sliding door when…

 _ **THUP!**_

Something got me in the back, a throwing dart if I were to hazard a guess, I felt my knees buckle, and I collapsed, I then felt someone rip in right out, I managed to turn my head to see it was a Ninjamon, he'd gotten me from behind and I left myself open to it like an idiot! "Don't bother getting up, the poison should take hold in time human," He said in a surprisingly high pitched voice, which would have been hilarious if I wasn't currently dying on the floor.

I couldn't move a muscle, no matter how hard I tried not a single limb would obey it's command, "It's a paralyzing poison, it only lasts an hour or two, but by then… you'll already be dead." He said, it didn't take a rocket scientist to tell me I was about to either get my head lopped off or stabbed through the back.

But before either could happen, I saw a metal, teal foot step into view, "Back off!" I heard Commandramon say before he fired shots at the Ninjamon. I then felt his metallic, clawed hand shake me, "Ethan? EHTAN! Are you alright?! Where's Gaomon?!" He asked me. I tried to answer, but all I could get out was "Poison..." I felt Commandramon pick me off the ground. "MEDIC! WE'VE GOT WOUNDED!" He cried out… I was starting to fade, I could feel my eyes getting heavy, my wound must have been pretty bad, considering Commandramon seemed to be making it a point to keep his claw pressed on it… oh god this sucks…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I had searched the entire camp but didn't find a single Ninjamon, and worse Ethan seemed to have gone off somewhere, I was about to turn back to try to find him, but I didn't have to…

"MEDIC! WE'VE GOT WOUNDED!"

It was Commandramon, my heart skipped a beat… no… please no! He… he couldn't… I ran as fast as I could in the direction of Commandramon's voice. Why didn't he stay close?! He knew how dangerous the Ninjamon where! We were **just** talking about how afraid he was of not making it home!

I soon found myself back at the house we had taken refuge in, the sliding door was open, I rushed in and… my fears where realized… Ethan was on the floor, eyes closed and unmoving, as Jason and Commandramon tried to tend to a very bad looking wound on his back.

I just stood there in stunned silence… it was my job to protect him, I promised him I'd keep him safe… only for this to happen… I failed…

Neither of them seemed to notice I was there, too preoccupied with their fallen friend, "My systems say it's just a paralyzing agent, it should wear off in an hour, but that wound is pretty deep, we need to get it fixed before he bleeds out or gets infected." Commandramon said.

Jason then managed to notice me, "Gaomon! There you are! What happened out there?!" He asked me, he seemed more relieved to see me than angry I abandoned my own partner.

I rushed to Ethan's side, "I… we got separated, he wanted to come get you guys, but I didn't think we had enough time before the Ninjamon completed their raid, he… he must of gone off to get you guys anyway..." I tried to explain, knowing full well this was my fault… I should have listened to him! What the hell was I thinking?! Now he was hurt… and it was my fault…

Jason clearly noticed the guilt I had on my face, "Gaomon, it's alright… Commandramon says his injuries aren't fatal." He tried to reassure me, but that wasn't the point! He should have never been in a position to get hurt in the first place! Why didn't I protect him?!

I buried my face in my gloves, I couldn't bear to see him like this, a boy so full of life, a boy I was supposed to protect, helpless and paralyzed, he was probably terrified before losing consciousness, wondering where I was, and why I didn't keep my promise to protect him…

Commandramon began to dress Ethan's wound, "Gaomon your heart-rate is skyrocketing, you need to calm down!" Commandramon warned me.

My guilt quickly turned to anger, "CALM DOWN!? My tamer is injured! I'm supposed to protect him! How would you feel if it were Jason instead of him?! But then again, what should I expect from one of the queen's former lackeys?" I snapped at him.

Commandramon just shot me a glare, "You're letting your emotions overrun you Gaomon, I know exactly what I'd do if this happened to Jason, I would be doing what I'm doing now, you're no help to Ethan lashing out at us and letting yourself get eaten alive by guilt!" He reprimanded me, "Now… help me get Ethan onto one of the futons so he can rest..." He told me.

We both dragged Ethan's unconscious body onto the futon… he just looked so… lifeless… Commandramon put a hand on my shoulder, "He's going to be alright Gaomon, I got to him before the Ninjamon could finish him off, and for the record, I'm not unfeeling… I'm just trained not to let my emotions get the better of me." He said, he didn't have a hint of anger in his voice, just giving me that same, blank, robotic look he always had.

I couldn't muster a single word, I had a whirlwind of emotions running through my head, guilt, worry, sorrow, anger, so much negative emotion I couldn't even bring myself to try to justify myself to Commandramon, all I could do was just stare at Ethan's unconscious body, wondering what he thought of his partner now, the one who abandoned him… would he forgive me? I couldn't even really forgive myself… it was such a rookie mistake… but it almost cost me my friend…

What kind of partner am I?

* * *

 **A/N: Will Ethan recover from his poisoning? And how will our heroes stop the Ninjamon now that they're down a man? Tune in next time to find out!**


	11. The Fangs of Gaogamon

**Chapter 11: The Fangs of Gaogamon**

* * *

Ow… my body felt like I had just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson, everything ached, especially my back. Why the hell did I do that back there? I spend all day whining about how I don't wanna die, and then I stupidly split the party, you **never** split the party! I managed to finally force my eyes open to see I was laying down on a futon, so I wasn't dead at least, I wanted to get up, but my body made it's case very forcibly that it didn't want to move let alone stand up.

I let out a small cry of pain and a frustrated groan as I returned to laying down on the futon, I then heard footsteps coming closer, I managed to turn my head to see Gaomon sitting down next to me, "Ethan, are you alright? Can you move?" He asked me, his voice was hushed slightly, like he was afraid of something.

"I'm… I'm okay… but… moving is… not exactly in the cards right now." I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit, it didn't work. Gaomon still had a glum look, I only remembered now he had promised me I wouldn't find myself knocking on death's door again, and failed to actually keep that promise.

It was clear on his face just how guilty he felt, "Ethan… I'm so sorry I let this happen, I should have listened to you and gone to get the others with you." He said, yup called that one.

I couldn't believe this, I make a bonehead move, and Gaomon blames himself for it! "Dude… I'm the one who… went off on his own like an idiot… don't blame yourself." I said.

Gaomon however felt differently, "It's still my job to keep you safe." He pointed out, "But… at least you're okay now…" He added, it wasn't much, but I considered it a victory, at least I got him to see the silver linings.

I decided to use this opportunity to change the subject. "Where are the others?" I asked him, I had noticed we were alone in here, and I needed to get Gaomon's mind off my injuries.

The dog Digimon took a moment to answer, sadly moving his eyes along my battered body, "They went to take care of the Ninjamon, they managed to scare them off and are now helping Buraimon check to see if anything was taken." He explained.

* * *

 _ **Later...**_

* * *

Gaomon refused to leave my side after that, even when the others managed to return he still wouldn't budge no matter what. Occasionally, Commandrmaon would come over and "scan" me, god it was so weird having a cyborg dino soldier hanging around, it seemed he had some kind of medical training considering he was the one who apparently dressed my wound, and worked on counteracting the paralysis poison. How and why he had that kind of stuff on him when he was a glorified security guard before joining us I'd never know, but I wasn't exactly complaining since this little factoid was the only reason I was able to move my limbs again.

All the while Commandramon was filling Gaomon and me in on what they had learned when scouting the area after chasing off the Ninjamon, It seemed that the Ninjamon had made off with someone, another Hyokomon had sadly gotten himself kidnapped. Good to know we had managed to do f**k all to actually help these people, and I got myself paralyzed for nothing.

It seemed we'd be staying another night here, Kate and Jason completely unwilling to abandon the village, and Gaomon vehemently against moving me until he was 100% sure I was okay.

God I hated being injured, I'd been banged up before, being a skater it was a common thing, but those were just scrapes and maybe a broken leg or two, I got poisoned! By a comically large ninja star! And god, I felt it too, that wound was about a centimeter or two from my right shoulder blade, meaning moving that arm was met with excruciating pain.

And of course, every time I stupidly hurt myself, Gaomon was all over me like a fussy mother, I know he was worried about me, but it wasn't like I was dying or anything! God, and I thought my Digital World experience was miserable before…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

We all met in another building with Buraimon, I didn't like leaving Ethan alone, but he at least had Gaomon watching him, and it wasn't like the Ninjamon were going to wait for him to recover, so we had to plan our next move now.

Buraimon shook his head, "I never expected the Ninjamon to get the jump on one of you like that, maybe it's best you and your friends leave now before something worse happens?" He said.

I shook my head, "We can't just abandon you guys now, besides, Gaomon refuses to move Ethan until he's recovered, so we couldn't even if we wanted to." I explained to him, this whole thing was so dumb, you'd think we'd be able to handle this no problem, but we already had one of our own put out of commission by what basically amounted to a band of bandits.

Buraimon seemed reluctant, but understood our reasoning, "Even so, the Ninjamon know one of you is injured now, and I know them too well to think they'll leave him to recover… I'm sending two Hyokomon to guard the house he's in, it's not much, but it's the best we've got and we need all three of you to take on the invading Ninjamon." He explained. I don't know how I felt about this plan, sending the very Digimon the Ninjamon kidnapped on a regular basis to guard our injured friend seemed kinda stupid really, but it was the best he could do, and it was better than just leaving him to the mercy of the Ninjamon.

"They caught us off guard last time," Commandramon said, "We need to prepare ourselves better this time, and not give them as many chances to catch us alone." He added, thank you captain obvious, but even still, I got what he meant, Ethan got hit because he broke off from Gaomon, we couldn't make mistakes like that, the Ninjamon weren't stupid, they knew advantages when they saw them.

Buraimon seemed to agree, "From now on, no human is separated from their Digimon, the last thing we need is for another one of you to go down," He said, I looked to Commandramon, yeah I could tell from the look on his face he was going to live up to that, I just hoped he didn't try to follow me when I needed to take a leak or something…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

Commandramon always seemed to go all in when he had a "mission", ever since we left Buraimon's house he'd been shadowing me, refusing to let me out of his sight even once. I mean, he usually followed me anyway, but this was a whole new level, he was keeping his eyes locked onto me at all times now, I couldn't lie, it was kind of getting creepy now. "Commandramon, you do know that you don't have to babysit me right?" I asked him.

Commandramon shook his head, "My orders are to keep an eye on you sir, I don't want to risk the enemy ambushing you," He said, yeah I should have figured I'd get an answer like that. If there's one thing I've learned about Commandramon during the short time I've known him, is that there's no reasoning with him when it comes to orders, he refuses to break them, even when he really should. I guess that was just how he was programmed, but I won't lie, having his large golden eyes fixated on me at all times was a bit much.

I must have trudged through every corner of this village, and I've found absolutely no signs of Ninjamon, not even so much as a discarded ninja star. Between this and Commandramon going into over protective mode, I wasn't exactly having a good time right now.

I turned to see Kate peer out from behind one of the houses, "Hey Jason, you find anything?" She asked.

I shook my head, "Nothing, although it's kind of hard when you have a certain cyborg dino watching you like a hawk," I said, shooting a look at Commandramon, who naturally had **zero** reaction.

Kate rolled her eyes, "You think **you** have it bad?" She said before walking out from behind the house, revealing Psychemon was literally hugging her leg like a toddler, forcing Kate to literally drag him with her, I did my best not to burst out laughing at the sight. "I've been dragging **him** around the village all day! And he weighs a _lot_ more than you'd think!" She added in a frustrated huff.

It seemed to me Gaomon wasn't the only Digimon shaken from what happened to Ethan, I imagine most if not all of our partners where mortified at the prospect of one of us getting hurt or worse. I guess I should be thankful Commandramon wasn't the type to physically attach himself to me like Psychemon here.

Kate began to try in vain to pry the pelt wearing lizard off of her, "Psychemon! Seriously! You're hurting my leg! Let go!" She stained, but every effort to pry the Digimon off her leg only made him grip tighter.

Psychemon shook his head, "NO! I don't want you to get hurt!" He said, gripping even tighter to her leg, earning a frustrated groan from his partner.

I shook my head, "Come on, we should head back to the house and check in on Ethan," I said, maybe a little time would make the Digimon a little less… clingy. Besides, I wanted to see if Ethan had made any progress on his recovery.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

Just as Buraimon had said, two Digimon stood guard in front of our little house, this had been the first time I'd ever seen a Hyokomon, they are both yellow little chickens with small, black, beady eyes, their bodies where slightly covered in what appeared to be egg shells, katana strapped to their backs by teal ribbons, they both had red "hair" tied in some kind of pony tail, with matching, comically large eyebrows, not exactly the most intimidating guards I won't lie.

The let us through, allowing us to see that Ross was already there, Hawkmon naturally glued to his side, thankfully not **literally** , although given how Psychemon was acting, I wouldn't have been surprised. Ross took one look at Kate's predicament and of course laughed his ass off.

Kate stomped her one free foot on the ground, "It's not that funny!" she protested, more embarrassed than mad really, but this only made Ross laugh even harder, causing Kate to blush slightly in embarrassment.

Ross managed to calm down his laugh enough to speak, "Sorry there, it's just… oh god… I didn't know he was **that** shaken by what happened! Hehe..." He laughed.

I needed to change the subject, if anything to save Kate the embarrassment, "So… any progress with Ethan?" I asked him.

The laughter completely died at that point as the subject changed to a far more serious one. "He's got use of his arms now, but his little blue nanny won't let him leave the futon." He explained, I took a look to see Ethan was sitting up holding his back which must have hurt like hell given how bad that wound was. "You know, neither of them had eaten anything all day," He added, none of us really had since the breakfast we had at the Inn yesterday, but it wasn't like we had anything to eat, and I doubted the village could spare any food given how often they were robbed by the Ninjamon.

Commandramon opened one of the pouches he had on his tactical armor, we all just sat there confused as to what the cyborg soldier was doing, however when he removed it's contents the reason became clear, "I think this should be enough for them for now." He said, he held in his claws what appeared to be two candy bars, just how much stuff **did** he have on him anyway?

Ross gave Commandramon an indignant look, "You had food on you the whole time?! And you never once thought to mention this?" He said.

Commandramon turned to Ross, "You never asked," He pointed out, Ross gave an annoyed grumble as Commandramon went to offer the two bars to Ethan and Gaomon. I guess it was good to know Commandramon had supplies on him, considering we lost the ones we had gotten from the rebels in the hotel fire.

Ross let out a loud sigh, "I guess we should make another patrol around the village, never know when those Ninjamon are going to strike next." He said, me and Kate had **just** came back from our patrol, but we already checked in on Ethan, so I guess another patrol wasn't out of the question.

So Ross and Kate left the house, Commandramon rushed back to my side before I left, as much as his constant gazing annoyed me, I didn't want to be caught alone out there either… So out I went, I hoped against all hope we would end this soon, I didn't like having enemies like this hovering over us, at least the Digimon King didn't have paralysis darts… at least, as far as I knew…

* * *

 _ **Later...**_

* * *

I don't know how, but I managed to does off after Commandramon handed me and Gaomon what he called "Emergency Rations." It was like the driest candy bar ever, with the faintest hint of chocolate flavor, masked almost entirely by it's chalky texture. I had only managed to stomach one bite of it before I took my cat nap.

It seemed to be close to night, as the room was significantly darker now, I could see Gaomon had passed out next to me, I guess the little guy hadn't slept a wink the night before. Not that I could blame him, seeing me in the condition I was in had seemed to have done a number on him, I doubted he could have slept that night even if he tried.

So basically, I was alone now, for the first time since… well since coming to the Digital World actually, my stomach growled a little, clearly not satisfied with the single bite of that bar I had earlier. I groaned as I knew I'd have to bite into that horrible bar again, ugh. Be strong Ethan, it's the only food you have dude, probably the only food you'd have for a while. So I took it from it's spot and hesitantly took another bite, god that chalky texture was so bad… how the hell Commandramon stomached this crap I'd never know.

I suddenly stopped at the sounds of soft feet landing just outside the house, I felt my heart begin to quicken it's pace, as I wasn't sure if this was one of my friends, or a Ninjamon come to say hello. I tried to get up to at least distance myself from it, but my back wound wouldn't allow it, another sharp pain preventing me from moving from my spot.

Suddenly a pair of arms tore through the wall and caught me in a sleeper hold! I tried to scream to wake up my partner, but whoever had me covered my mouth to prevent me from doing so, however that wasn't the only reason, as I noticed he had a cloth in his hands… oh god it was chloroform wasn't it? Yup… I felt myself losing consciousness…. God not again…

I managed to wake myself up, I can't believe I feel asleep! As soon as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I heard the sounds of… something being dragged! I quickly turned to see Ethan being dragged off by figures shrouded in darkness! NO! Not this time! I sprang to my feet, "LET HIM GO!" I yelled as I closed in, however before I could reach my tamer another figure appeared in front of me, hitting me with a hard knee to the gut, knocking the wind out of me.

I collapsed to the ground, stomach aching from the blow I had just took, I watched helplessly as Ethan was dragged away… no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't will myself to get up and save him! Don't worry Ethan… I'll find you… I promise…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

"Hey! HEY! Are you okay?"

My eyes blinked open as I heard about a dozen voices surrounding me, when they opened I saw I was in some kind of cage, surrounded by what had to be a dozen samurai chickens, god that's a sight I never thought I'd see…

I looked around, we were clearly in a camp of some kind, there were other cages holding yet more samurai chickens, the only light a small campfire, being monitored by about three Ninjamon. "What happened? Where am I?" I asked no one in particular.

The chickens began to move in closer, "The Ninjamon camp, they just threw you in a few moments ago." One explained, oh come on! I survive getting injured only to get kidnapped! God I suck!

One of the Ninjamon walked over to us, "You be quiet in there! Our buyer will be here in a few minutes, and I'm sure he's going to be **real** interested in what I've gotten today." He said with a sinister smirk.

Buyer? He… he was going to **sell** me? I never thought in a million years I'd ever have a price tag attached to me, but then again this stupid world had made me experience a **lot** of things I never thought I would…

I tried my best not to panic, the others would find me? Right? God we never should have agreed to interfere with this, now I was going to be auctioned of to god knows who, knowing my luck it was going to be some rich asshole looking to display me in his exotic zoo! Roll up! Roll up! Come and see the amazing idiot Canuck who got himself kidnapped by ninjas!

I cursed, banging my head against the wooden bars of the cage, hopeless, defeated, I can't believe this is how it ends, sold as a pet to a rich Digimon! Or worse, a slave! All because I screwed up and got myself injured! I had to be the worst Digidestined **ever**! Well, at least I wouldn't die… as far as I knew.

However, one of the Hyokomon put a wing on my shoulder, "Don't lose hope! We can get out of this!" He said, oh yeah, I'm sure we can! I'm sure a bunch of tiny chickens and an idiot teenager can **totally** escape this cage and beat the four badass ninjas!

However, more joined in, "Yeah! We can't give up! Master Buraimon always said you're never defeated until you give up!" Another said, a nice sentiment sure, but how the hell are we going to escape? I, for whatever reason, decided to try shaking the cage.

It had a **lot** of give to it, slightly shaking when I moved it, it then occurred to me these cages where meant to hold tiny birds, not nearly full grown human beings, I guess the Ninjamon weren't nearly as smart as I gave them credit for. I decided to try leaning as much weight against the cage door as I could, the door began to creak slightly but didn't give. "Oh come on! Give!" I grunted.

Suddenly the Hyokomon all piled around me, pushing against either my back (ow) or the door itself, the combined weight of me and the Hyokomon managed to make the door snap off it's hinges, freeing us, and **that** kids, is why you don't make your cages out of flimsy wood. The Ninjamon noticed immediately however, "HEY! YOU! STOP RIGHT THERE!" He barked at us, drawing his sword.

I had to think fast, or else I wasn't going to make it. The Hyokomon had all rushed to free their friends, if I could keep the Ninjamon busy for a few seconds, the hoards of Hyokomon could probably overwhelm them! Sounded like as good a plan as any! "Hey! Ninja boy! I guess you guys suck at much at making cages as you do at killing dudes!" I taunted, yeah he was pissed. He began to rush at me with his sword held high, his buddies following suit, not even **trying** to stop the Hyokomon.

One quick roll managed to get me out of the way of their sword swipe, causing them all to topple over each other like dominoes. "Nice swing dude! You trying to kill me or each other? I can't tell!" I taunted them, they all scrambled to get to their feet, **very** angry I was basically embarrassing them.

One knocked his buddies aside, "He's **mine**!" He growled, storming over to me, before I could even react he hit me with a hard jumping roundhouse, knocking me to the ground, "You're not worth selling! I think we're just going to cut your head off and send it to the King as a peace offering!" He snarled, before grabbing his sword to do just that. He raised it high, ready to cut my head off.

" _ **ROLLING UPPER!**_ "

Suddenly the Ninjamon was knocked into the air by a blue blur! He was sent crashing into a tent, which collapsed under his weight. Suddenly a new figure landed in front of me, it didn't take me long to see it was none other than Gaomon, I should have figured he'd be the first to come after me!

Gaomon offered a gloved hand to me, "You okay?" He asked me, with a nod I grabbed his hand and he helped me to my feet.

The two other Ninjamon were quick on the attack, Gaomon only managing to push me out of the way in time to avoid getting caught in the middle. As I hit the ground the Ninjamon just started wailing on him! It was hard to watch if I were to be honest, even the other one that he punched into a tend joined in.

Gaomon was trying his best to fight back but the onslaught was just too much as they just kept beating on him. It wasn't long before he was beaten and broken, collapsing to the floor. I had to do something! They were all champions! And he was just a rookie! They had both the level and number advantage! I noticed one of the Ninjamon's swords was still in the ground from when Gaomon sucker punched him.

Without a second thought I snatched it, I didn't know what I was gonna do, but I wasn't going to sit there and watch them do this to my friend! I rushed the group, and managed to stab one in the back, he cried out in surprise and pain as the sword pierced him, but he quickly knocked me back with a swift kick to the gut. "Why you little, that **hurt**!" He said angrily.

Just as I was beginning to think about how screwed I was, something in my pocket was going nuts! I reached in to see my Digivice, spazzing out, my hand had a blue digital glow of some kind. I instinctively knew what to do, "Digispirit… CHARGE!" I said as I brought my hand down on it.

The Ninjamon all turned to see Gaomon engulfed in a bright blue glow, his body began to shift and change, " _ **Gaomon Digivovle too...**_ " He said, his final form began to take hold. " _ **GAOGAMON!**_!" He cried as the light burst like a bubble, revealing his new form.

He was a quadruped now, and about the size of a truck! His face was much more dog like and more defined, he still had his red boxing gloves, but they had three long black claws popping out of them, two red scarf things jutted out of his back that almost resembled hands.

The Ninjamon seemed intimidated, but quickly went on the attack, but Gaogamon was on top of them, standing on his hind legs, " _ **DOUBLE DASH CLAW!**_ " He bellowed before swiping his paws in an "X" pattern, getting them all with his claws. They all tumbled backwards, deep claw marks on all their faces. Gaogamon smirked, "I bet you're all regretting kidnapping my friend now, aren't you?" He taunted them.

One of the Ninjamon got to his feet, "I don't care **how** much you Digivolve! You and your tamer are going to **die**!" He said before taking out a ninja star. " _ **NINJA KNIFE THROWING!**_ " He shouted before throwing the comically large ninja star.

Gaogamon nimbly dodged the projectile, before dashing at the ninja, mouth wide open _**"GAOGA-HOUND!"**_ He shouted before clamping his gigantic jaws around the now quite helpless Ninjamon, he kept thrashing his head about, not unlike a dog would to his chew toy, soon it was just too much for the Ninjamon as he broke apart into data, dead.

Gaogamon turned his attention to the other two, "Next?" He challenged them, the two Ninjamon looked at each other, before decided to try to attack him in unison. Both throwing their own ninja star only for Gaogamon to flip out of the way, and as he landed inhaled, " _ **SPIRAL BLOW!**_ ", suddenly a small tornado came careening out of his mouth, hitting the two ninja head on, sending them for quite the ride, until they were both unceremoniously tossed into a lake, defeated.

The Hyokomon all cheered as they gathered around their new hero. Gaogamon looked to me, "I don't think those Ninjamon will be a problem anymore." He said, yeah I'll bet, even if those two bozos did survive, they sure as hell weren't going to mess with Gaogamon again! He then approached me, bringing his rather large head down to my level, "You saved my life you know, thank you." He said.

I went to rub the back of my head, but my old friend mister back wound rejected that idea rather quickly, "We should get you and the Hyokomon back to the village." He said, I couldn't disagree, with the day, or rather night, won, there wasn't much point in staying. Gaogamon lowered himself so I could get on his back, I did so, my wound made climbing him quite painful, but it beat walking all the way back to the village.

Once I was safely on, Gaogamon began to walk back to the village, surrounded by little Hyokomon, "Hey Gaogamon… you don't mind if I pass out on your back do you? I'm beat..." I said, god I was exausted, after all the insanity I'd experienced today, I was fighting to stay awake.

Gaogamon let out a little chuckle, "Go right ahead," He said, man what an insane day, as I laid there, drifting off, I began to rethink my feelings on this world, yeah it was a deathtrap, but Gaogamon was pretty cool, and it was nice to be the hero for once… it was a place where I could be something more than just some kid from London, Ontario… A Digidestined…

And I don't know about you? But I could get used to that…

* * *

 **A/N: And with that, another Digidestined unlocks his ability to Digivolve his partner to Champion. What new adventures will our heroes get into next? Well you'll just have to wait and see, try not to get kidnapped by ninjas in the meantime Ok? Ok.**


	12. Welcome to Toyland!

**Chapter 12: Welcome to Toyland!**

* * *

Well this was just great wasn't it? We leave for a few minutes and both Ethan **and** Gaomon were gone! I would have thought the lad had run off if we weren't too gimped to prance! And now **we** had to fight off the Ninjamon ourselves! Thankfully, we had managed to corner five of them in the village square with the help of Buraimon.

"No where to run now," Said Buraimon as he inched closer to one. "Surrender now or else!" He threatened, but of course, the Ninjamon weren't exactly intimidated.

One drew it's own sword, "Surrender to you? That's a laugh! You're the only champion here Buraimon! Sooner or later, your little village will fall!" The Ninjamon said rather smugly.

He wasn't wrong, as much as I would have liked him to have been. Neither me nor Kate had managed to digivolve our Digimon yet, and Jason hadn't exactly learned how to Digivolve Commandramon again. We would have to hope the numbers game would be enough I guess.

However, suddenly a small tornado just up and smacked into the group of Ninjamon, sending them flying back. Confused, we all turned around to see a rather large blue dog had found us, surrounded by a sea of little samurai chickens. You know, normally seeing this kind of imagery was a strong sign that you were mad as a hatter, but in the Digital World, this was Tuesday.

It wasn't until I saw Ethan passed out on the giant canine's back that I realized that, somehow, someway, Ethan had managed to Digivolve Gaomon. I honestly didn't know how I didn't realize this before, considering how similar he looked to this new dog creature, he even still had his bloody boxing gloves!

The new creature glared at the Ninjamon, "You might as well give up now Ninjamon, your little camp is in ruins, and you're all that remains of your little clan! Your days of tormenting this village are **over**!" He said, well at least now I knew where they had been, how they got there would be a question for later. Right now, we had some pesky ninjas to get rid of.

The five Ninjamon seemed shocked by the news that their friends had been killed, and that their Hyokomon had been freed (I'm guessing that's who the little chickens were,) Suddenly they weren't feeling to confident it seemed. "Fine! We weren't getting **that** much from it anyway!" One said, trying his best not to sound scared and failing at it. And with that, they all vanished, I couldn't help but let a sigh of relief escape my lips, I was glad this little detour was over and we could move on.

 _ **Later…**_

We all had gathered around the village square with Buraimon, and Gaomon had reverted back to his rookie form in that time, Ethan having finally woken up from his slumber as well. The whole village was alive with cheers and celebration, finally freed from the Ninjamon's menace, even Buraimon seemed happy, something I don't think I'd ever seen before. "Thank you Digidestined," He said, "Thanks to your efforts, we are free from the Ninjamon's menace once and for all, this whole village owes you a debt of gratitude," He said with a respectful bow.

It was nice to **finally** get something done for once, instead of barely escaping with our lives, we actually managed to make life a little brighter for someone in this god forsaken world. It was the first time I had ever felt like our existence here had actually made a difference.

Jason returned Buraimon's bow with one of his own, "We're just doing our duties Buraimon, I'm glad we could help," He said, clearly enjoying actually having helped someone for a change, Jason always stuck me as the charitable type, someone who would have annoyed me to no end back home, but here, it was different, everything was different here.

After we all said our goodbyes, we left the village behind us, and made our way to the Metal Empire, which Buraimon had mentioned before we left wasn't too far from where we were. It seemed we were finally making things click together, finally making progress as opposed to beating our bloody heads against a wall like we had been since we left the rebel camp. But I had a sinking feeling we'd end up crashing and burning eventually, or maybe that was just the cynic in me reminding me to not get my hopes too high.

On the trek towards our next destination, Ethan had filled us in on what had happened to him, apparently while we were away the Ninjamon had kidnapped him and brought him to their little camp, he said they were talking about selling them to someone, god knows who, but thankfully Ethan never had to find that out as he had actually managed to break out, Digivolve Gaomon, and beat them all. So I guess it was safe to say Ethan had a very… interesting evening.

Speaking of evening, night had soon arrived, and for the first time on this little trip of ours, we set up camp. We didn't have much in the way of camping equipment, Commandramon only had so much in the ways of supplies on him, so we had no tents or sleeping bags, just a small campfire and each other's company.

I stoked the fire as we all sat on fallen trees of the ground, "Well, I can't say I'm not glad to be done with all of that," I said, trying to start a conversation. I usually didn't like to talk to people more than I had to, but in this insane world, little comforts like conversation with other human beings were more necessary than you'd think.

Ethan sort of groaned and held his abdomen, "Ditto, man getting injured sucks," He whined, personally, he should just be thankful that Ninjamon didn't have better aim. I just hope his injury wasn't going to slow us down, I wanted to get this thing over with so I could go back to life as usual, in a world that **wasn't** constantly trying to kill me.

Jason turned to Ethan, "Well, hopefully a little more rest will help, we have a lot of ground to cover, and we have a whole world counting on us. But for tonight, I think we've all earned a bit of a rest," He said, I couldn't agree more, after the madness that we had to deal with back there, I think we all needed a moment to breathe.

So with that, we put the fire out and all tried to get some sleep, trying to sleep on the cold, hard dirt was a task and a half, but I guess all the excitement today had taken a lot more out of me than I thought as I soon drifted off into slumber…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Okamon had finally managed to find something other than woods and trees, the File Inn, I remember hearing Rex mentioning it a few times as a hiding place rebel forces sometimes used, the fact it was run by a mega level had kept Rex from simply sending a strike force there to flatten it. Although it seemed someone had managed to do just that, as the File Inn was now nothing more than a pile of burnt rubble, the smell of smoke and ash was strong, and unpleasant.

Okamon tried sniffing at the air, but the smell of smoke overpowered the scents of the Digidestined causing him to shake his head, "I can't track them, too many other scents here for me to pick theirs apart from the others." He explained.

"What are **you** doing here?!"

Me and Okamon turned to see Rosemon herself, carrying some wood, and surrounded by what I assumed was a mix of guests and employees. "If you've come to destroy my hotel then you're obviously too late, I accidentally did that for you when I was trying to live up to your stupid deal!" She snarled at me, deal? I don't recall any sort of dealings the king had with her.

"We're not here for **you** Rosemon, if you and the kings had any dealings I was never told, I'm looking for the Digidestined, and from your wording, it seems that you've met them, so… do tell me, where are they now?" I asked, I knew she'd resist, I could tell from her face she had no intentions of telling me what I wanted to know.

She shook her head, "I'm **done** making deals with you **and** your mad king! Get off my property now before I destroy **you** and your pet!" She threatened me, I knew I stood no chance against Rosemon, so fighting her was a bad idea, but I needed a lead.

So… "Fine… then I'll tell the king you directly interfered with our hunt for the Digidestined, I do hope your guests are good at running, because they're going to be doing a lot of it when he sends his strongest troops to… pay you a visit," I threatened her, Rosemon, from what I heard, wasn't hard to get to, threaten her guests and she caves instantly.

And she did just that, hanging her head low, "I don't know okay? They didn't say where they were going, but I do know they left a few days ago, and personally, I hope they make him suffer for what he's done to us!" She spat, defiant as ever, but I had an idea of where they headed now, two days passing meant they'd be somewhere between the Wind Guardians and Metal Empire territories, since I figured they were trying to liberate the two territories controlled by Rex, and the Metal Empire was closer.

Without another word, me and Okamon left in search of the Digidestined, part of me hoped I arrived in time to watch Datamon fall to the Digidestined, it'd be cathartic…

* * *

 _ **The Next Day…**_

* * *

I awoke the next day to be met with a strange sight, I saw what appeared to be a soft yellow leg, almost like it belonged to a giant stuffed toy. I looked up to see that, indeed it was a stuffed toy, a teddy bear to be exact, it must have been at least three meters tall! It's design was quite simple, it was a yellow teddy bear with a white snout and belly, two pieces to tape in an "X" pattern stick to where it's belly button would be, it's eyes were thin and red, fixed in an upside down "U" shape giving it a slightly sinister look.

I began to think this had to be some kind of joke, before the teddy bear knelt down so he was eye level with me, "Why hello there, I do hope I haven't intruded or anything," the stuffed toy said in a deep base of a voice, almost like a large man making baby talk to their child almost. The others soon awoke to see this giant stuffed bear.

Jason was the first to address the giant ursine plush, "C… can we help you?" He asked rather sheepishly, I didn't blame him, seeing a stuffed toy living and moving on it's own wasn't nearly as cute in person as it was on the telly, it's unnerving, and unsettling, a sensation known as the "Uncanny Valley" if I recall, but in reverse, something that looks fake, but acts realistic and organic, it was… terrifying.

The bear let out a tiny giggle, not helping the creepiness at all. "I apologize for disturbing you, but I was taking my usual stroll through the woods and saw you eight just laying there, it's not safe to sleep in these woods, you never know what's lurking in the shadows out here. What are you all doing out here?" He pointed out, the irony of a terrifying monstrosity warning us of the dangers of the forest not lost on me at all.

Kate rose to her feet, "We're actually trying to get to the Metal Empire," She explained, I don't think this is the kind of person we should be telling this to Kate! Something about this bear didn't sit well with me, and it wasn't just the creepiness he exuded, he seemed quite dodgy, he seemed to be taking a little more interest in us than someone normally would to someone he just randomly found in the woods.

The bear seemed to jump a little upon hearing this, but his face grew a smile, "Really? Well it just so happens the city I look after is a part of the Metal Empire! I can take you all there if you like," He offered. Odd, I thought that a requirement for being a part of the Metal Empire was, you know, being **metal**?

Of course, I was the only one who seemed suspicious it seemed, as Jason got to his feet rather quickly, "We'd appreciate it, thank you," He said, all I could do was shake my head, it was this kind of gullibility that almost got us killed at the File Inn, and while I admit I was the one who bumbled into it, I'd learned from my mistake, but it seems Jason and the others hadn't.

The bear was, of course, delighted. "Great! Come with me, the Land of Toys isn't too far from here!" He said, before going off to lead us to this "Land of Toys", to be frank, I didn't know how I felt about going to an entire city filled with creepy living toys, I'm pretty sure they've made horror movies out of that kind of premise, but it was progress none the less, we'd be in the Metal Empire, if not at least a strange subsection of it.

As we made our trek to the Land of Toys, I managed to get the bear's name out if him, Monzaemon, he seemed to be the friendly type, but then what else would you expect from a giant children's toy? That aura of creepiness didn't go away however, something about him didn't seem right, but I for the life of me just couldn't place it. We soon found ourselves at a gate that seemed to be made of baby blocks, the letters on them spelling "Toyland" as they arched over the entrance. The gate itself was a simple metal gate you'd find at any posh residency, it seemed to open automatically as soon as Monzaemon approached, he said he looked after the place, so I guess they knew him well enough, and it's not like he was someone you'd mistake for someone else, being a giant stuffed bear, he stood out.

We entered the little city to find what could only be described as what a nursery would look like if it took over an entire town. Bright pastel colors littered the streets in a checkered pattern, like someone had spread a giant blanket over the land. The houses looked like they had been made of giant Lincoln Logs, giant toy blocks and bouncy balls littered the landscape, as if we were in a giant child's playroom. Even the trees where toy like, plastic and smooth. The inhabitants were all toys as well, the most prominent being little plastic dinosaurs that appeared to be made of giant Lego. They came in three flavors it seemed, one was made of green, red, and yellow bricks, others were made only of black bricks, and I even saw one made of clear bricks. It seemed all the Digimon that lived here were based on some kind of toy, I even saw one that looked like a walking Yo-Yo!

Monzeamon turned to us, "This is Toyland, the only really peaceful place in the Metal Empire since the King took over," He said, "Turns out the Digimon King doesn't have much use for toy Digimon," He added, yeah I could imagine, not exactly going to bring the Digital World to it's knees with an army of teddy bears are ya? "Feel free to have a look around, I'll meet you back here later, I had… things I need to attend to," He said before walking off, not even giving us a chance to ask why.

I waited for Monzeamon to vanish from sight before I decided to tell the others exactly how I felt about this place, "This place give me the willies, I think we should work on getting out of here before too long," I said, earning strange looks from the others.

Ethan let out a small chuckle, "Aw what's wrong Ross? You scared of the giant teddy bear?" He teased me, clearly not getting my point at all.

I just rolled my eyes, "Doesn't this seem a bit… off to any of you?" I asked, I couldn't possibly be the only one who found this place so dodgy, I mean… come on… a teddy bear from the very territory we were headed to just so **happened** to find us? I mean… come on!

However, Jason merely shook his head, "Just because one Digimon tried to kill us in her hotel doesn't mean every Digimon out there wants to kill us Ross, besides, we won't be staying long, just long enough to let Ethan rest his wounds a little, and quite frankly, I wouldn't mind getting some supplies so we don't have to rough it so hardcore next time," Jason explained, all I could do was sigh, he had a point, trust was a hard thing for me, given my past, but Ethan needed the break, and quite frankly, I doubted a teddy bear could do **that** much to us regardless.

Kate then clapped her hands together, "Alright, now that **that's** settled. I say we all take a look around town, see what they have here, maybe we could find something useful? Like a shop or something?" She suggested, it sounded like a plan, although I didn't like the idea of splitting up too much, I still had a bit of worry in me.

But we all did just what she suggested, for what it's worth, we **did** take our partners with us, so it wasn't like we were going **completely** on our own. But having Hawkmon with me did little to ease the weariness I had about this place. The cheery and wholesome facade this place had felt like it was a mask, hiding some sinister undertone I just couldn't see. So I just walked the brightly colored streets, trying to keep my head straight. "You know Ross, for what it's worth, I believe you, there is a strange aura to this place that doesn't quite feel right," Hawkmon said.

I turned towards my avian partner, "I'm glad I'm not the only one, I just have this unshakable feeling that something's going to happen, something bad," I said, it was a relief to know at least Hawkmon shared my suspicion about this place, it made me feel less like I was going mad.

Hawkmon sighed, "The fact it's in King controlled territory doesn't help either, I doubt the Digimon King would have just left this place alone when it's part of the territory he took over," He pointed out, which was another good point, this place seemed completely untouched, and I doubt the Digimon King was intimidated enough by a soft plush bear to not send his armies to level it or bully it into compliance. "But, it's best we don't say much more about it for now, if we're right and we say too much we risk the whole town attacking us," He added, making a valid point, it was best to wait and watch, I didn't want to risk the group on a hunch after all.

So I gave him a nod, letting him know I understood, we spent a good couple of hours strolling through the town, I hadn't found anything suspicious on my trek, by all accounts, it seemed like a normal town, well… normal for a town made of and inhabited by children's play things. Soon I met back with the others, Jason had managed to find some supplies, which Commandramon carried on his back, I was surprised they too weren't glorified toy supplies, but actual blankets and tents. Kate and Ethan hadn't found much though, Kate admitting she had just wanted to see the sights, and Ethan claiming he got lost and managed to somehow work his way back to the town square.

Soon enough Monzeamon rejoined us from, whatever it was he had done, "Ah, I see you've managed to find some supplies for your journey at one of our stores!" He said, noticing the supplies Commandramon carried.

Jason nodded, "We found it a little while ago, thankfully Commandramon carries Digital World currency on him, apparently," Jason said, it sometimes confused me how much stuff that robot dino carried on him, first the food, then money, what else did he have in that backpack of his? The holey grail?

Monzeamon chuckled a little, "Very good, now that you all have had a good look around, I insist you rest your bones at our inn, so we can have our medical staff take a look at your injured friend there," He offered, oh **hell** no! No more bloody inns! Not after what happened the **last** time!

But, of course, Jason and Kate liked the idea, "Thanks Monzeamon, we'd appreciate the help," Said Jason, being a gullible twit as usual. But I was again, outnumbered, so off to the inn we went, it was full of more lego dinos.

Monzeamon rung the front bell, causing another Lego dino to appear from under the counter, "Ah! Mr. Monzeamon, how can we help you?" The Lego dino greeted.

The stuffed bear Digimon turned and motioned for Ethan to come forward, which he did, "Our new guests here have an injured member here, do you mind taking care of this one while the others relax and spend the day?" He said, the Lego dino nodded and rang a little buzzer under his desk, causing two more Lego dinos to walk in, both with little nurse's hats on their heads.

They took Ethan by the arm, "Right this way sir, we'll have our doctor look at that wound of yours," One said, and before Ethan could even respond, they dragged him away to treat him, Gaomon following him naturally.

Monzeamon then turned towards us, "There we are, now, Toy Agumon here will take you to your rooms, your friend will join you there soon," He said, at least now I knew what the Lego dinos were called, they were apparently "Toy Agumon", the Toy Agumon then proceeded to do just that, leading us into a small, simple room, not nearly as nice as the one Rosemon's inn had, but I really didn't much care.

The Toy Agumon then bowed, "Enjoy your stay, it will take a while for us to finish fixing up your friend, we do hope you enjoy your stay," He said before leaving, the door softly clicking shut.

I shook my head, "I don't like leaving Ethan alone with those things, we don't know anything about these people," I said, I wanted out of this town, I didn't trust it as far as I could throw it, and I found it kind of dodgy that they had a hospital attached to an inn of all things, seemed awfully convenient if you ask me.

Kate let out a groan, "Will you stop? These people are helping us! You need to stop being so paranoid!" She said, stubborn as she always was.

I knew trying to argue with them was pointless, and if I was wrong, I'd only look like more of an asshole. It was a simple case of picking my battles, and this is one I shouldn't fight, at least not yet.

Jason sat on one of the beds, "To be fair, last time we stayed at an inn, we wound up almost getting killed," He pointed out, letting me know they at least were aware of why I found this so troubling. "But still, it's not fair to them to start pointing fingers, we should give them a chance at least," He added, causing me to roll my eyes.

If we wind up dead Jason, I'm blaming you…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

The hospital room was strangely quiet, and desolate, I didn't even see so much as a counter for medical supplies, the Toy Agumon had just laid me on a table and left me there, the silence had started to get to me, I began to fear that Ross may be right, and we just wandered into a trap, if that were the case… I was screwed, well, not entirely, Gaomon was still here at least, although they had tried to get him to wait outside, even tried to escort him out, which only resulted in one of them getting punched in the nose for their troubles.

Gaomon began to notice how uncomfortable I was, "Ethan, you alright? You seem tense," He asked, god, sometimes I hated how Gaomon could read me like a book so easily, nothing got by that Digimon I swear.

I gave a sigh, "You think Ross might be right about this place? I mean… it **is** in the Metal Empire, aka Digimon King territory," I asked, I kinda felt like I was just being paranoid, but to be fair, it was a legitimate concern, you never knew what people were up to in this world. None of us had expected Rosemon to try to kill us after all.

Gaomon looked to his right before returning his gaze to me, "I can't lie, it's possible, but that's why I insisted on staying here, just in case," He said, yeah you kinda made that point pretty forcefully… but still, it was comforting to have someone I knew I could trust in the room with me at the very least.

Suddenly the door opened, strangely Monzeamon came in, "I hope we haven't kept you waiting too long, the doctor is on his way," He said, I found it strange he felt the need to oversee the treatment, but something about his body language said he was up to something, before I could even ask anything, he suddenly pressed a button and metal rings sprang from the bed I was in! Strapping my arms to it like this was a Bond movie or something. "Keep in mind I find no joy in doing this, but you must understand human, you and your friends have made a mess of things, a mess that threatens my town, it's nothing personal, just… business," He said.

Gaomon turned to the stuffed bear Digimon, "You tricked us! Ross was right! We never should have trusted you!" He barked at Monzeamon. This was bad! I was trapped, and Gaomon couldn't digivolve!

Monzeamon approached Gaomon, "Too bad you won't get the chance to tell him or any of the others how right he was," He said before locking Gaomon in a bear hug, he cried out as the teddy bear began to squeeze his body with a surprising amount of strength.

Suddenly the door opened, and in stepped several Commandramon, followed by what could only be described as a tin can with arms and a brain in a jar attached to it, he seemed quite pleased with himself, "Ah… how foolishly trusting you humans are, you fell **right** into my trap! I knew Bridget only struggled to best you due to her incompetence!" He said, I had no words, "And don't bother screaming for help boy, this room is soundproof," He also pointed out, of course it was, because that's just my luck isn't it? The tin can then turned to Monzeamon, "You can release the blue mutt Monzeamon, my Commandramon will subdue him, I need him for my mines after all and I'd rather you didn't break his back in two," He said,

"Yes Datamon," Monzeamon as he released Gaomon, as soon as he hit the ground, two Commandramon pinned him to the ground, insuring he wouldn't be able to free me, if he even could.

The tin can, Datamon I guess, then skittered over to me, "As for you, I do hope you don't have any delusions of making it out of this, after Monzeamon's rounded up all of your friends, I'll have him deliver you to my personal lab for… further study," He said rather menacingly, before cackling up a storm as he left, oh god… why is it always me?

* * *

 **A/N: It just goes to show kids, never trust sentient talking teddy bears!**

 **Will our heroes realize their in danger in time to escape Datamon's clutches? Or will they all be his personal lab experiments? Tune in next time!**

 **BTW: Sorry I got this out late, I had quite a busy day yesterday and the day before, and by the time I had time to write, I didn't have the energy to do so. I'm going to try to get chapter 13 out pretty soon to make up for it though, so keep an eye out for that k?**


	13. Always the Cynic

**Chapter 13: Always the Cynic**

* * *

It had been a few hours since Ethan was taken to the hospital, we had heard basically nothing about his condition, and I doubted his wounds were serious enough to warrant that much time to patch up. I had even asked the Toy Agumon at the door if he had improved any, only managing to get a "we're doing our best" as an answer, and naturally, I wasn't allowed to see him, they seemed rather keen on that actually, guarding the hospital doors rather heavily.

How odd, but I guess their doctors were a touch slow, I decided I'd check again in a few hours, I still found this place suspicious, but I didn't want to rush in and make an ass of myself if I turned out to be wrong. I walked out of the inn to have another moment to think, even though Hawkmon believed me, I still felt like I was the only one who found this place suspicious, everyone else seemed to quick to trust this place, enjoying the happy colors and warm beds, while I was constantly looking over my shoulder. I had always had issues with trust, and after the whole incident with Rosemon I had been very cautious of seemingly welcoming Digimon who offered us room and board.

But despite all that, I still hoped I was wrong, that it **was** just me being paranoid and that Ethan would be fine. Despite my issues with trusting people, I'd grown attached to my fellow Digidestined, they were the closest things to friends I've had in a long time, and I had never realized how much I missed that until recently.

I suddenly noticed a rather large shadow cast over me and Hawkmon, we both turned to see Monzeamon had happened upon us, "Oh hello there, Ross right?" He greeted me, I still found Monzeamon unsettling, despite how much time we had spent around him previously. "The others tell me you have doubts about this town of ours? Is that true?" He asked me, apparently my cautiousness was worrying enough to the others they felt the need to tell Monzeamon about it.

I tried my best not to look intimidated, "Well we haven't exactly had the best track record with "hospitality" on our little journey," I said to the giant teddy bear, I didn't know if I was digging myself into a hole by admitting my distrust in him and his little town, but I wasn't going to try to lie to the thing either.

Monzeamon let out a sigh, "I assure you Ross, we only want to help you and your friends, but I understand why you'd be so cautious, the Digital World can be a scary place sometimes," He said, using a tone one would use to explain to their child why there wasn't a monster in the closet, it was almost condescending, like I was just a scared little kid that needed a good talking to. "But I assure you, you and your friends are safe here, you have my word," He added almost proudly.

Unfortunately for him, his word alone wasn't worth much to me, but I knew better than to pick fights with giant bears, even if they were plush, so I left that unsaid, "Please, do try to make yourself at home Ross, I'm sure you and your friends will be here for a while," Said Monzeamon, I could have sworn before he turned to leave, he shot me a sinister smirk, or maybe I was just being paranoid again? I don't even know anymore…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Okamon had tracked the Digidestined to the very borders of the Metal Empire, Okamon explaining that the scents around the area were strong enough to indicate they had camped out here, a burnt pile of fire wood in the area proof enough he was right, Okamon began sniffing around some more, before he suddenly stopped, "That's odd..." He commented, before sniffing at a certain area some more.

He clearly seemed confused by something, "What is it?" I asked, curious as to what confused him so much.

He turned to me, "I picked up another scent… Monzeamon," He said, Monzeamon, the "mayor" of Datamon's "Toyland", it always amused me that a Digimon who prided himself on cold hard facts and admonished me for having "too many feelings" Had a territory so childish and cutesy sitting at the borders of his territories. But this raised a question, what was Monzeamon doing out here? He rarely if ever left his city, Okamon seemed to be thinking the same thing, but also came to the same conclusion, "Datamon's trying to trap the Digidestined in his Toyland," Okamon said.

It wasn't a bad plan, those morons didn't know thing one about this world, and would fall for the city's cutesy and friendly exterior, allowing that obnoxious bucket of bolts to trap them all with little effort, thus destroying any chance I had of regaining Rex's favor. "Well then Okamon, I guess we'd better pay Monzeamon a visit, no way am I allowing Datamon to destroy the Digidestined before me," I said, and with that, me and Okamon were off, I hated Toyland, I was never a fan of that kind of cutesy crap, but I was even less of a fan of the idea of Datamon taking my place at the King's side, so I'd stomach it just this once, if only to see Datamon's plans crumble.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Ross had begun to worry me a lot lately, ever since we entered Toyland he'd been so on edge, and I honestly couldn't blame him, after the incident at the File Inn I too had a hard time trusting seemingly friendly faces. But even Rosemon turned out to be being manipulated by the King, we hadn't really run into any **truly** evil Digimon on our travels, so I kinda felt like he was still being a bit paranoid.

Me and Psychemon had tried to check in on Ethan, but strangely, the Toy Agumon who guarded the door wouldn't let us through, claiming he didn't want to be disturbed, which didn't sound like Ethan at all, but I wasn't exactly willing to pick fights so I left it at that, I'd discuss it with Jason and Ross later, right now, I wanted to take a moment to collect myself, a nice stroll outside would do me some good, I decided to walk around back, at first everything seemed normal, well, as normal as a town made of plastic could be, but then…

"Hey! Careful! Datamon wants them alive!"

I quickly rushed to a hiding spot, hiding behind a pink dumpster, I peered my head out to see something I didn't think I'd see here, two Commandramon carrying someone, they clearly weren't Jason's, given those vacant look in their eyes, "But we also need to get him out of here fast, we can't risk one of them seeing us and compromising Datamon's plans!" One of them said.

Me and Psychemon both looked at each other, both of us coming to the same conclusion, that Ross had been right, there **was** something happening here, this was compounded when I finally got a good look at who the Commandrmaon were dragging off, it was Ethan! He was unconscious, at least, I **hoped** he was only unconscious.

"Well, aren't we a nosy little girl,"

I squeaked as I slowly turned my head to see Monzeamon standing over us, I could tell he wasn't happy given the deathly stare he was giving me, "You and your little friend Ross just couldn't relax and accept my hospitality! You had to question things! This could have gone a lot soother and less painfully if you just minded your own business!" He snarled at me before he tried to get me in a bear hug, but Psychemon had pulled me away in the nick of time, causing the giant stuffed bear to tumble over the pink dumpster and crash to the ground.

Psychemon stood between him and me, "You stay away from my friend!" He yelled at the bear, I could tell he was panicking even from here, poor Psychemon wasn't hard to frighten, and I doubted the prospect of me being kidnapped sat well with him. "You're nothing but a bully and a liar! What did we ever do to **you**?!" He added.

Monzeamon picked himself off the ground, "It's nothing personal really, Datamon ordered us to help him capture you, and we are, it's not my fault you and your friends are gullible enough to believe we actually wanted to help you," He said.

God I hated this bear! It seemed I had finally met a purely evil Digimon, he wasn't doing this out of fear like Rosemon was, he was doing this because he could! Out of some ill deserved loyalty to this "Datamon" character, and given he had Commandramon kidnapping Ethan, it was a safe bet Datamon was with the Digimon King.

Speaking of the Commandramon, Monzeamon turned to them, "Go! Get him to the jailhouse! I'll handle the girl," He ordered them, and with that, the two quickened their pace, I naturally went to rescue him but Monzeamon stood directly in my path. "Uh uh uh! You've been a very bad girl Kate Peterson, and now you need to be put in time out!" He said, not unlike an angry parent scolding their child.

I braced myself for whatever attack Monzeamon would unleash on me, but " _ **COLORFUL SPARK!**_ " I looked to see Monzeamon get electrocuted by rather colorful lightening, I turned to see it was coming from Psychemon's horn, this was probably the attack that he was about to use on me back at the hotel, thank **god** I managed to talk him down then huh? "Get back Kate! Before he breaks free!" Psychemon strained, trying to keep the lightening going long enough for me to put some distance between me and Monzeamon.

I did so, positioning myself behind Psychemon, however Monzeamon quickly broke out of Psychemon's attack, "Nice try! But I'm still two levels above you Psychemon, you and your little friend aren't going **anywhere**!" He growled, he then cocked his fist back, " _ **BOOM BOOM PUNCH!**_ " He bellowed before his paw began to glow, he threw a huge right hook sending poor Psychemon sailing through the air, leaving me alone with the giant stuffed bear, "And now… you sleep." He said before rearing his fist back for another punch…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

I walked back to the inn, a walk through the town had done a lot to improve my mood, maybe I was being a touch paranoid, I opened the door to our room to find… oh crap.

It seemed I was a touch too quick to dismiss my suspicion, as I found Jason and Commandramon huddled around an unconscious Psychemon, who seemed to have crashed through the roof given the rubble around him and the giant hole in the ceiling! "What the hell happened?!" I asked as I rushed over to our fallen friend.

Jason shook his head, "I have no idea, me and Commandramon were just sitting here, minding our own business, when Psychemon came crashing through the roof! I hate to say it Ross, but I think you might have been right about this place after all," He said, this was probably the one time I was upset that I was right about something, this meant Ethan, and possibly Kate were both in trouble! And I was too busy debating with myself to do anything about it!

"It's kind of sad it took you that long to realize this,"

I knew that voice, I turned to see that, yes, the Digimon Queen herself had decided to barge in, I knew it! She was behind this! "You bitch!" I snarled before I grabbed her by her stupid little coat, "Where are they?! You'd better tell me before I break you in half!" I threatened her, I couldn't really tell from under those goggles of hers whether or not I was actually intimidating her.

But I didn't get much time to find out as her pet wolf quickly pulled me off of her, "Touch her again, and you'll lose those arms," He snarled at me.

The Digimon Queen dusted herself off, "Relax, I'm not the one behind this, this town is controlled by Datamon, the same Digimon who took **my** D-Brigade, he controls the Metal Empire, honestly I can't believe you bought any of this," She said, and why the hell should I believe you? The same bitch who tried to wipe out an entire rebel camp!

I growled, "Oh sure! And I bet Big Foot and the Tooth Fairy helped him do it too eh?" I said, I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her, and quite frankly, I found her sudden entrance more than a bit suspect.

However, "S.. She's right," Squeaked Psychemon, "M… Monzeamon mentioned Datamon when we fought him, h… he has Kate doesn't he?" He said, confirming my fears that Kate had fallen to the same fate that Ethan had.

The Digimon Queen crossed her arms, "Probably, knowing Datamon he hasn't killed them, he'd want to experiment on them first, if you want to find your friends, I'd try the ToyLand jail house, that's probably where he's keeping them until he knows he has all of you," She explained, again failing to explain why I should believe any of this.

Jason seemed just as trusting of her, "And how do we know we can trust you?" He asked, for once we were on the same page, last time we met this bitch she was slaughtering innocent Digimon at the rebel camp!

The Digimon Queen shook her head, "Because I hate Datamon, he took my troops and shook the King's trust in me, I would love nothing more than to watch you ruin his plans and expose him for the incompetent boob he is, besides, can you really afford **not** to trust me? You have no other leads on where your friends are, and Psychemon said himself that Monzeamon mentioned Datamon when attacking him, I suggest you take the lead I gave you and shove it down Datamon's arrogant throat," She said before turning to take her leave, "But make no mistake, after I know Datamon is dealt with, I'm going right back to destroying your virtual pets, have fun until then," She said before she and her wolf left.

Jason sighed, "Well, I guess we'd better head to the jailhouse, me and Commandramon saw it on one of our many walks through the town, it's not far from here," He said, he wasn't serious was he? How many evil villain plans did we have to fall for before he stopped being so bloody trusting?!

I shook my head, "How do we know this isn't a trap? This **is** the Digimon Queen we're talking about here!" I pointed out, I kinda felt like this was a rather important detail he was outright ignoring! For all we knew, she was trying to lead us right into her trap!

Jason rolled his eyes, "Because she was right! We have no other leads Ross! I don't trust her any more than you do, but right now, we have to at least try! Ethan and Kate are counting on us!" He snapped back.

Suddenly my anger began to boil over, I was so sick of crashing into brick walls with him, "God dammit Jason! You do realize this blind trust you have in people is the reason we're in this mess in the first place right?! What do these people have to do to get you to realize they can't be trusted? Let me clue you in on something kid, people lie, they use you to their ends, and throw you away afterwords!" I tried to explain to him.

But, of course, "So I should what? Forget them and leave? Ross our friends are in danger! I don't trust the Queen either, but right now we have no choice! Ever since I met you you've done nothing but argue with us! Why are you so unwilling to trust people?! Are you just **that** cynical?" He snapped at me.

That did it, "You have no idea how the world works Jason! People use and abuse people all the time! They tell you they care about you! That they'll always be yours, but then your so called "best friend" starts sleeping with the love of your life behind your back! And when you finally wake up to it, they both decide to leave you behind! Wondering what you did to deserve it!" I snapped… getting a bit too personal there… as everyone in the room stood silent… I didn't mean to go there… but I guess my mind had gone to the very place that had gotten me to the state I was in now… something I had never planned on discussing with these people.

Hawkmon, then stepped between me and Jason, "Jason, you and Commandramon go to the jailhouse, we'll meet you there," He said, Jason took a minute, but understood that Hawkmon wanted to talk to me alone. After they both left Hawkmon turned to me, "Ross, something happened to you… didn't it?" He asked me… this wasn't a conversation I wanted to have… I never did, but I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't going to let me go without knowing.

With a sigh, I decided to explain, "A few years back… I had a girlfriend, we were madly in love, we had been together for three years at that point, and… I was ready to propose to her… I had the ring… I had a plan… I was ready to spend the rest of my life with her..." I began to explain, I hated talking about this… it was still as painful as it was back then… but I couldn't exactly avoid it now… so I continued, "But… when I came home… ring in hand… ready to pop the question… I found a note on the door… it turned out… she'd been seeing my friend behind my back… and… and they ran off together… leaving me alone… I was betrayed by the love of my life, and someone I thought was my best friend… ever since then… I've never trusted people…" I finished explaining, that story never got easy to tell, I must have told it a thousand times but it always stung just the same, ever since that day I had become a cynical wreck, always weary of friendly faces, never knowing their true intentions.

Hawkmon just sat there and listened, taking in what I told him, I doubted Digimon knew much about human relationship traditions, or why the timing of it hurt me as much as it did, I was ready to spend the rest of my life with that woman, only to find out she'd been cheating on me the whole time, it was a very human issue, but I could tell he was sympathetic none the less, "Ross, I understand what happened was horrible..." He began, "But… you need to let it go, not everyone is looking to betray you," He added.

It was a sentence I must have heard a thousand times, but I never found it anymore believable, "When I found you unconscious in that forest, I didn't have to help you you know, but I did anyway, because you needed my help… just like you do now, Ross you're my friend… we're all your friends, so two people decided to stab you in the back, doesn't mean everyone out there is out to get you, you need to learn to trust your friends Ross, because they all believe in you, you're stronger than you think, and if you can find it in yourself to trust in them, you can do anything. They need us now Ross, we can't let a lack of faith stop us from helping those who need us," He explained.

I couldn't stop myself from breaking down, all the hurt I'd been bottling up for so long had begun to pour out of me, I had shut myself away from everyone, too afraid of being hurt by someone again to try to reach out for help. And now, now my fear of betrayal was going to cost two good people their lives, three if Gaomon was with them. I guess I had never had a friend like Hawkmon to show me just how bad my situation had become, how much damage I was doing to myself by locking myself away, or how much I was hurting everyone around me by shoving them away, when all they wanted to do was help me.

Hawkmon gave me a friendly smile, the same one he had given me when we first met, "You can trust us Ross, I promise you that, now… we'd better get going, we can't let Jason and Commandramon have all the fun," He said before leading me out of the inn, he was right, despite how much I didn't trust the queen, I needed to trust Jason's judgment, so with a new sense of confidence, I followed Hawkmon out, ready to rescue my friends…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

* * *

Me, Commandramon, and Psychemon all made it to the Jailhouse, it looked like an old west prison from a cartoon, with "Jail" even written on it's front. I know I probably should wait for Ross and Hawkmon, but I doubted after that outburst Ross would be in any condition to help fight Monzeamon. So we all entered the jailhouse, it was abnormally quiet and dark in the jailhouse, I expected there to at least be a guard, I began to fear Ross had been right and this had been yet another trap, but… after a bit of walking I began to hear voices.

"You son of a bitch! When the King finds out about this, he'll have your head!"

I hid behind a barrel, and saw, lit by a small candle light, that the Digimon Queen had been dragged to the Jailhouse and locked in a cell with Okamon behind her. She was surrounded by Commandramon, and the king jerk himself Monzeamon. "Datamon's had more than enough of you Ms. Shuno, and when he learns we've captured you along with the rest of the Digidestined, he'll be so pleased! And this town will flourish!" He said rather proudly.

Well I guess this confirmed that Datamon did indeed hate the queen, I could make out the shapes of more people in the adjacent cells, upon further inspection, they were indeed Ethan, Kate, and Gaomon, all still out cold it seemed.

But before I could even plan my next move, I felt something hard hit me in the back of the head, I began to fade into unconsciousness as I heard Commandramon and Psychemon try to fight off something, I then saw an all too familiar yellow plush foot come into my view before it faded away with everything else into blackness…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

Me and Hawkmon rushed through the town, god I hoped we weren't too late! I saw the jailhouse come into view, I was almost there!

" _ **TOY FLAME!**_ "

Suddenly I found myself being battered with hard plastic missiles, you wouldn't think they'd hurt but you'd be wrong, it felt like getting punched by several fists at once, I collapsed to my knees, suddenly we were surrounded on all sides by ToyAgumon, should have figured we'd have to fight them eventually. They began to pile on top of me like a horde of plastic, Lego, zombies, their jagged edges digging into me only adding to the discomfort.

Suddenly a bunch of them where knocked off by a swooping Hawkmon, they all click clacked as they hit the ground, I managed to break free from the remaining ToyAgumon's grasp, "I don't have time for this!" I growled, these plastic buggers were starting to piss me off! They began to shoot more toy missiles out of their mouths at me.

I barely managed to get out of the way of the onslaught before Hawkmon had decided he'd had enough of this nonsense, " _ **FEATHER STRIKE!**_ " He cried as he shot his feather at the pile, knocking them over with one strike. "Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back huh?" He challenged them, I wasn't too keen on the comment about not being able to fight back, but I would be lying if I wasn't relieved to have him standing between me and the ToyAgumon.

The ToyAgumon began shooting him with their plastic missiles, but one strong flap of his wings knocked them out of the air, and sent them falling harmlessly to the ground, he then took to the air, flying back and forth over the horde, slashing at them with his talons, all the ToyAgumon could do was try to shield themselves from the attack, however, Hawkmon simply flew into them again, knocking them all to the ground, defeated.

Hawkmon landed softly in front of me, "Well that takes care of them," He said, "Come on! Let's get to that Jailhouse and rescue the others!" He then said, and we both rushed to the Jailhouse, thankfully not running into any more ToyAgumon along the way.

The second I reached the Jailhouse I ripped the door open, only to be met with a huge fist that knocked me back, sending me crashing into a fruit stand of some kind. And of course… out stepped the stuffed bastard himself, Monzeamon, "I was wondering when I'd run into you Mr. Beck," He said as he closed in on me. "You're the only one left Ross, Jason, Commandramon, and Psychemon are already captured, it's time for you to join them!" He said, letting me know I'd be on my own here.

"Not exactly the "only" one!" Said Hawkmon as he swooped in, getting Monzeamon right in the face with his talons, "You'd best let our friends go now! Or else!" Hawkmon said, hovering in place.

However, Monzeamon simply laughed, "Or else what? You're only a rookie! You think I'm afraid of a tiny little bird? Please..." He laughed, grabbing Hawkmon by the leg and slamming him to the ground with an unsettling, loud cracking sound. He then picked him off the ground and German Suplexed him headfirst into the ground, it was hard to watch to put it lightly.

I felt my heart began to race, Hawkmon was getting pummeled, clearly outmatched by the hulking stuffed bear, I could tell with every blow Hawkmon was trying to stay conscious, because he and I both knew what would happen if he succumbed to unconsciousness. I was about to lose the very friends I had just realized how much I really needed, all in one moment, all the confidence I had gained had been destroyed by the harsh reality that I couldn't win this fight… I guess… I just wasn't meant to have friends…

Monzeamon then noticed my dying confidence, "HA! You realize it now, don't you Ross? How hopeless it really is! You're not strong enough to save them Ross, you never were! You know, when I first met you, I actually thought you'd be the hardest one to get, because you were always so cynical! So distrusting, but it turns out under all that cynicism, you're just a scared little boy! A scared little boy… who's about to lose it all," He taunted me, he was right… I was scared… I was about to lose what little I had gained… my new friends, my freedom, and inevitably, my life.

"N… no! Ross… d… don't listen to him!" Hawkmon strained, barely able to breathe due to the beating he had taken, "Y… you're stronger than… you think you are… don't give up… never give up," He said before receiving a powerful stomp to the chest by Monzeamon.

Hawkmon cried out as the bear put all his weight onto the poor little bird, "Don't bother! He's already given up! Look at him! It won't be long now before you're dead!" Growled Monzeamon, his red eyes glowing in the growing darkness.

I took out my Digivice, looking at my own reflection in the silent screen, Hawkmon had never given up on me, even when I was at my worst, even as he lay, possibly dying from the beating he was taking, he still somehow had faith in me, but what could I do? I couldn't fight Monzeamon, I couldn't save them…

However, I kept hearing Hawkmon's words in my head, " _You're stronger than you think,_ ", they played over and over in my head, like a record that kept skipping, it's meaning given more clarity each time, I **was** stronger than I thought! I had let my own cynicism consume me for long enough, I had to have hope, hope was all I had right now, I needed to stop running away from it, and embrace it. I held the device to my heart, "I'm stronger than I think..." I said to myself, I then felt the Digivice come alive, as I felt my desire to save my friends grow, fuel me, I wouldn't allow despair to rule me anymore! I would save me friends! Nothing was going to stop me! "I'm stronger than you think I am!" I cried out as the Digivice's energy burst out like a fire cracker, sending it's energy right to Hawkmon.

Monzeamon took a step back in shock, "What?! What's happening?! This can't be!" He said as Hawkmon began to change shape.

" _Hawkmon digivolve too..._ " Hawkmon began…

Monzeamon turned to me, "What did you do?!" He snarled at me, I could tell even from here he was afraid, he knew what was happening, and he knew he was powerless to stop it! My oh my how the tables have turned.

I grew a cheeky smirk, "I found my hope, I guess I should thank you for that," I said, the look on that fluffy bastard's face was so worth it to me, "Sure, I let cynicism consume me, I'll admit that, but… the thing about people you don't seem to understand, is that we can change… Hawkmon never gave up on me, and so, I won't give up on him, or any of my friends! NEVER AGAIN!" I cried out as Hawkmon took his new form.

He was now a very large bird, he still had his white face and red body, but now his head was far more bird like, and had two large ram horns jutting out of it, his wings were much bigger and more well defined, and his feet where now pale blue with large black talons. " _ **AQUILAMON**_!" He cried out, naming his new form.

Monzeamon was in complete shock, a fight he had complete control over had just changed completely, however he tried to stand his ground regardless, "Go ahead and Digivolve! It doesn't matter! You'll still die with the rest of your little friends!" He growled before going for another punch, " _ **BOOM BOOM PUNCH!**_ " He cried, going for another huge punch.

But Aquilamon quickly dodged the attack, " _ **BLAST RINGS!**_ " He answered back, bombarding the overgrown teddy with rings of energy that blasted him back into his own jailhouse, making a large hole where the doorway used to be.

The bear Digimon slowly got to his feet, "Is that… all you got?" He stained as he picked himself up, I could tell that attack did a number on him, due to how much he was swaying and stumbling as he tried to approach the giant avian Digimon that blasted him.

Aquilamon shook his head, "You and your master are done tormenting me and my friends! Time to end this," He said before prepping his wings for a mighty flap, " _ **MACH IMPULSE!**_ " he said as he brought his wings down with a great force, sending a strong gust of wind down at Monzeamon, who crashed through the walls of his own prison with so much force he hit the next building over, causing it to crumble to the ground on top of him.

Me and Aquilamon both followed him, finding him trapped under the ruins of one of his own buildings, "Y… you won't win… D… Datamon is too… smart… for you… he'll defeat you… hope… will only get you… so far," He struggled as his data began to crumble, destroyed by his own building, how poetic.

Aquilamon turned to me, "I told you, all you needed is to trust in your friends, and you can do anything," He said, I looked back to the pile of rubble that used to bury Monzeamon, defeating him… it was almost like me overcoming the self doubt that had built up since the day that woman ran off with that man, like I had exorcised a demon that had been haunting me for years, I felt… free… for the first time in a long while, I could finally move on.

I turned back to my partner, "Thank you, I mean it… "I told him, petting his head, "Now, lets get the others shall we?" I said, and with a nod, me and Aquilamon left to collect the others, thankfully, the destruction of the jailhouse hadn't hit the others, who were all haphazardly stuffed into a singular cell, Aquilamon clamped his beak onto one of the bars, ripping it from it's hinges.

"I suppose you're just going to leave me here,"

I turned to see the Digimon Queen, stuck inside a cage with her pet wolf, it seemed that she had been right after all, and that Datamon had managed to have his teddy capture her too. To be honest, I wanted to just leave her, after all she did it's what she deserved after all.

But… I couldn't bring myself to do it, after all I had learned today, it felt wrong to leave her there, she was still a human being, "Aqulamon, let her out too," I said.

Both the queen and Aquilamon were shocked by this, but Aquilamon did just what I had asked him too, breaking the door of her cage off, "I have to ask… why are you freeing me? I'm only going to attack you again eventually," She pointed out as she stepped out of her cage.

I shook my head, "I know, but I like to think that even you deserve better than being trapped in a ruined prison, waiting for Datamon to come collect you," I told her, she was trying her best not to show it, but I could tell from her body language she was conflicted on how she felt.

She, however turned to walk away, "Cute, but this changes nothing, next time we see each other, your little birdy is going down along with the rest of them," She said before she and her wolf walked off.

Aquilamon joined my side, "You did the right thing Ross, even if she doesn't realize it yet," He told me, "Come on, we should get the others and leave this place, I don't know about you, but I've had enough of Toyland for one lifetime," He said, I couldn't agree more, if I ever saw another teddy bear again, it'd be too soon…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I just couldn't wrap my head around it, why did he save me? He should have just left me trapped in that cage, it's what I would have done, but he didn't, and this made two Digidestined who Digivolved their partners that I knew of, something wasn't adding up, how did they manage to manipulate the program like that? Was it really their feelings? No… that's ridiculous, it's a computer simulation, not an episode of Care Bears.

"Something bothering you Bridget?" Okamon asked me.

I turned to him, "It's nothing Okamon, come along, we're headed to the Metal Empire, I think it's about time we confronted Datamon about his… behavior," I said, Okamon nodded and we walked off, me trying not to think about what had happened back there too much…

* * *

 **A/N- What's this? Do I detect a hint of doubt in the Digimon Queen's voice? It seems Ross may have gotten to her more than either of them realize!**

 **What's next for our heroes? Stay tuned!**

 **This chapter took longer to put out than I had planned, but at least I managed it. Hopefully the next chapters going forward won't take nearly as long… knock on wood.**


	14. The Metal Empire

**Chapter 14: The Metal Empire**

* * *

I can't believe that all happened, Datamon was actively trying to kill me now, having his overgrown teddy bear kidnap me, and blab to me how that tin can was going to have me killed. I knew exactly what I was going to do, I was going to confront Datamon, and drag his carcass back to Rex so he could be punished for his crimes against me and the empire. Rex was many things, but he was certainly not forgiving of treachery.

We were currently in his industrial district of the great Metal Empire city, the pungent smells of his highly pollutant factories assaulted my nostrils, the little vegetation that managed to survive his toxic factories were brown and withered, Datamon never gave much thought to keeping his territory, healthy, he made no secret how much he hated "organics", even if this world itself was artificial, he only seemed to respect robotic Digimon, which made his loyalty to the Digimon King a bit questionable in hindsight, I had no doubts he planned on betraying him eventually too, but I would end that today.

Okamon kept pace with me, "You do know that we'll probably have to fight our way to Datamon right?" He pointed out, he wasn't wrong, Datamon was many things, but a "fair player" wasn't one of them, he was a coward hiding behind his legions of loyal robot Digimon, I had no doubts we'd have to fight them off just to get to him.

I scoffed, "Let him send his robots, he'll only be digging himself a deeper grave when Rex finds out what he's been doing to his second in command," I said with a confident smirk, I looked forward to seeing Datamon at Rex's feet, begging for mercy, and he would get none.

We both entered the front door, surprisingly unlocked considering he **had** to know we were coming, unless he thought Monzeamon actually managed to kill me, in which case it would seem we had the element of surprise on our side as well. If all went well, we probably wouldn't even need to fight Datamon, just call Rex and inform him of what his "loyal" subject had been up to.

However, suddenly the room was drenched in red light, and tv screens came to life with that son of a bitch's face on them, "Ah, if it isn't my old friend Bridget Shuno, I should have known that ignoramus plush toy Monzeamon wouldn't be able to dispatch you, but no matter, it seems I was right about your lack of mental prowess, as you've blundered right into my trap!" He gloated.

I glared at him from under my red goggles, "Rex is going to have your head when he finds out what you had your pet teddy bear do to me!" I threatened him, I had no idea how the hell he thought he was going to get this by Rex, he'd notice if I were missing.

But Datamon sounded with a loud laugh, "Oh I don't think that will be an issue," He said before I heard a soft click underneath my feet, before I could even think of what it could possibly be, I found myself falling through a trap door, I could hear Okamon cry my name as the light from the hole grew ever smaller, before I hit the bottom…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I don't think there was a single member of our group that wasn't glad to leave that evil toy town behind us, me and Commandramon did however manage to get the supplies we bought though, (of course after checking them for booby traps). We were now on our way to the metal empire, Ross filling us all in on what happened, but of course, one part seemed to be a sticking point for some.

"You let the queen go? Why?!" Ethan blurted out, to be honest, I was kinda surprised he had let her go to, but for different reasons, honestly, I would freed her too if I were in his position, but the fact distrusting, cynical Ross of all people let her go was kind of unexpected.

Ross rolled his eyes, "Because I learned I need to stop being so paranoid about people, including her, I'm hoping that act of kindness makes her begin to rethink her views on the Digital World," He admitted, I couldn't help but agree with his reasoning, everyone deserved a chance to change, I just hoped she took it.

However, Ethan and Gaomon both didn't seem to share his optimism, "Dude! Did we forget she was the one who tried to kill an entire rebel camp AND enslaved a crap ton of Digimon to mine for ore? That ship has **sailed** man!" Snapped Ethan, I couldn't fault his reasoning, but still… I think it was worth a try at least.

I shook my head, "Guys! We need to focus right now, or are you forgetting we're in enemy territory right now?" I pointed out, if anything to get them to stop fighting. The two simply rolled their eyes and went back to walking.

It was then we saw it, the fabled Metal Empire, it was like we had stepped right into Orwell's 1984, the city was bleak and dark, with futuristic buildings that were either in ruins, or on their way to becoming ruins, various robot Digimon trudged through the dark streets with vacant expressions not unlike the ones that the Commandramon had, they just mindlessly went through their lives like they were programmed routines, every second of their lives a planned series of events meant to keep the city running in a steady pace.

These robot Digimon didn't even seem to acknowledge our existence, just moving past us like we were invisible, "Okay… this place is weird," Kate said, I would have gone with "depressing" but that's just me.

However Ross had a different reaction, "I think we should just keep moving, if the King IS here, we have to get to him before he turns this town against us like Monzeamon did," He said, he wasn't wrong, this was a town of robots ran by the King's armies, all it would take is one stray Commandramon or whatever to alert the king and whip this town into a frenzy.

Ross then moved to an alley way, "We should stick to the alleys, the less people see us here the better," He said, normally you wanted to **avoid** alleyways in dense, rundown cities like this, but again, Ross was right, we needed to keep hidden, I'd rather avoid having to fight our way to the King if we could, so we all funneled into the alley, it was dark, but also surprisingly clean, I guess in a city populated by robot Digimon there wasn't going to be much in the way of trash, but still.

While we were moving between the buildings, I managed to notice that Commandramon seemed… uncomfortable. Commandramon was a Digimon who was very good at hiding how he felt, keeping a professional and composed image at all times, but here… he actually seemed… scared. "Commandramon? You okay?" I asked him.

Commandramon at first didn't answer, just keeping pace with everyone else, but then, "This place… it's… those Digimon we saw… they… they didn't feel right… they had that same look my… my comrades had… it just… "He said, struggling to find the words to describe what was unsettling him. "I think… I… I can hear something in my head…" He then said, causing everyone to stop.

Commandramon then began to hold his head like he had the mother of all headaches, I could see his face clenching, trying to fight back… something, "It's… it's Datamon… he has… some kind of… program running through the city… I can't… I can't!" He struggled, he then collapsed to his knees, and began to scream. A horrible wail that sent echos throughout the dilapidated city, we all just stood there in horrified silence as my Digimon partner began to writhe and convulse as we began to hear what sounded like a high pitched whining. "He's trying to… I… must… obey… AGH!" He strained.

It took me a minute to realize what was happening, Datamon had some kind of mind control program running through the city, it must have been how he kept the other robot Digimon in the city under his control, and now this program was trying to worm it's way into Commandramon's head! And me powerless to do anything to help him, all I could do was watch as my friend struggled to keep control of his own mind.

I scooped him off the ground, "We have to move, I don't want to risk Commandramon's life any more than we have to!" I said, I got no argument from the others, as we all rushed through the streets of this hellish robot city. I could feel Commandramon squirming in my arms, I didn't want to even begin to imagine what he was going through right now, how hard it was for the poor thing to even keep his head straight. At least now we knew why the robots in this city seemed so mindless, whatever it was that was keeping them in line was trying to take over Commandramon as well.

Commandramon looked up at me with weak eyes, full of fear "Jason… help me… it… it won't stop! Make it stop!" He pleaded with me, all I could do was just keep my legs moving and pray to every deity in existence that I could get Commandramon away from whatever it was that was trying to control him. I held him tightly in an effort to try to comfort the poor thing, it was upsetting to see Commadramon like this, the usually quite strong and level headed Digimon now in such a vulnerable state, desperately clinging onto my shirt as well as whatever control of his mind he had.

We all managed to find an entrance to some kind of underground tunnel, my first thought was a sewer, but what use would robots have for a sewer? It turned out to be an abandoned subway system, as I could see a dilapidated subway car sitting on it's rails, Commandramon seemed to calm down, whatever it was that had wormed it's way into his head had stopped when we entered the abandoned station.

Ross slammed a fist into a wall, "Dammit all! Just when I thought that king bastard couldn't get any more underhanded!" He growled, "The hell was that anyway?" He then asked.

Commandramon took a moment to collect himself, "I… I don't know… something… something in my head was messing with my programming… trying to override my free will…" Commandramon tried to explain, still a bit shaken by his experience.

"It's Datamon's control protocol."

We all stopped as a figure stepped out from the darkness, when it stepped into the light we all stopped dead in our tracks, it was none other than Okamon, the Digimon Queen's ever present partner, but I noticed that the queen wasn't with him, "He uses it to keep his citizens in line, your lucky he didn't completely take over your mind," Okamon explained.

Ethan and Gaomon seemed the least happy to see Okamon, "The hell are **you** telling us this for? I'd thought you'd **want** Commandramon back in your stupid King's army?" Ethan spat, granted, none of us were exactly thrilled to see the Digimon Queen's lapdog here, but Ethan seemed especially pissed to see him.

If Okamon was in any way bothered by this outburst, he didn't show it as he kept his usual blank expression, "You misunderstand my loyalties," He said in his usual monotone, "My loyalty is to Bridget and Bridget alone, and right now… she's in danger," He added. We all just sat there in silence, not sure how to react to this, "She had gone to Datamon's factory to confront him after he had Monzeamon capture her earlier, but we unknowingly walked into a trap. He let me go, but Bridget was captured," He elaborated.

Part of me wanted to tell him off, that whatever it was Datamon had planned for her was karma for all the horrible things she had done as the Digimon Queen, but… I knew deep down that it wasn't right, Ross had freed her specifically to give her a chance to change, a chance everyone, no matter how evil, deserved.

Okamon then approached me, looking right into my eyes, "I came to you because you're the only ones I know who can help me find her, I know you have little reason to trust me given our pasts, but I have no one else to turn to… please," He explained, there was something about his tone of voice that struck me as odd, he seemed… desperate… he did his best to hide it, but his eyes gave him away, he was terrified about what might become of his tamer.

I weighed my options, on one hand, it seemed obvious the right course of action was to leave her in Datamon's clutches, one less villain to worry about, but on the other hand, Okamon had to be desperate if he was relying on **us** to help her, and I just couldn't bring myself to leave her, I remembered what Kentaruosmon had said, about Bridget being one of us at one point, maybe… if we helped Okamon… we'd finally get through to her?

I turned to Okamon, "Where do we start?" I said, and I could have sworn, Okamon smiled.

However… "Are you out of your mind?!" Gaomon protested, of course **someone** had to question this decision, "Why the hell should we help **him**? Did we forget this was the same Digimon that tore Commandramon's arm off?" He pointed out, and while he certainly wasn't wrong, I knew I was making the right decision.

I shook my head, "I haven't, but we'd be no better if we just left her in Datamon's clutches, besides, if the King is here, Datamon will know where, we go with Okamon to rescue Bridget, we find Datamon, and we find the King, **that's** my plan!" I said, trying to be as firm as I could, I know the prospect of rescuing one of our enemies wasn't exactly a happy prospect, but it was the right thing to do.

Ross stepped forward, "Besides, Okamon knows this place better than we do, and I'd rather not have my efforts to free her be for nothing," He said, it was bizarre to have Ross of all people backing me up here, but at least he saw the practical side of it like I did.

Kate nodded, "Besides, we're supposed to be the heroes right? What kind of heroes would we be if we left her to the mercy of the maniac that runs this horrible city?" She said.

Ethan seemed to hesitate, I knew how upset he had been at Ross for freeing her, so I doubted he was thrilled at the prospect of helping rescue her, but for whatever reason, he let out a sigh, "You're right, we should help them, even if she is an evil bitch," He said reluctantly.

Okamon seemed grateful, "Thank you, all of you," He said with a small bow of the head, he then turned, "Come, if I know Datamon as well as I do, he's probably holding her in the industrial area," He said, as he led us down a dark tunnel, with a simple shrug we all followed him, god I hope I haven't walked us into a trap…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I guess I should be thankful Datamon wasn't going to kill me, but what he **did** have planned for me? Well, it kinda made me wish he had…

He had stripped me of my Digimon Queen garb, replaced with a pale blue jumpsuit, an outfit every Digimon who shared the room with me all shared, it seemed that all the Digimon Rex had captured weren't just sent to the mining camps like I had thought, as it seemed Datamon had some to work in his factories, which is what he intended to have **me** do now.

I was led to a machine by two Hagurumon, giant gears with faces pretty much. "Here you are, your "majesty"," One Hagurumon said, clearly trying to mock me, I shot him a dirty look as I approached the machine, with any luck I wouldn't be here long, Rex wouldn't allow this, I was the Digimon Queen, not an AI like the Digimon that toiled away here.

The Hagurumon floated away, probably to oversee the other workers to make sure they didn't try to revolt or something. I looked to the machine that I was expected to work with, the factory seemed to the a production plant for Commandramon, more soldiers for Datamon's stolen army.

It didn't take long for the other Digimon in the room to notice my presence, "Hey! Isn't that the Digimon Queen?" One asked, "I guess the King isn't as great as you thought he was, was he your majesty?" Another mocked me, stupid programs, as if this situation wasn't annoying enough already, I had to deal with the mocking voices of several Digimon on top of that.

I said nothing, not willing to give them the satisfaction of me acknowledging their mocking words. I began to pull the levers, I needed to do something to take my mind off this situation I found myself in.

Suddenly the intercoms came alive with a mockingly upbeat jingle, like this was a department store informing it's shoppers about it's next flash sale, "Greetings workers, today we have a special guest in our factory, I'm sure you **all** know her quite well," Datamon's voice sounded over the intercom, "The Digimon Queen herself is now, like all of you, a permanent part of the family, please, do give her the welcome she so… richly deserves," He mocked over the intercom, I knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to break me, I felt every Digimon in the room's eye on me, their angry faces told me that I had no friends in this room, I tried my best to hide how hopeless that made me feel, simulation or not, I was stuck here, and I doubted any of these other workers were willing to let me go without a black eye or two.

A bell then rang, and the intercom sounded once more, "Break time, please proceed to the cafeteria for your one meal break," A robotic, Microsoft Sam voice sounded, and every Digimon got up from their spots and filed into the cafeteria, I debated going in myself, knowing full well what would happen if I did, but that debate ended when the Hagurumon forced me from my spot and into the cafeteria.

I took a good look around, they were all watching me, a thousand digital eyes all glaring at me in anger, burning hatred in their eyes as they looked upon their queen. It wasn't too different from high school really, I wasn't all that hungry, so I just sat at the only table that was completely empty, I doubted sitting near the Digimon would end well, and I had no interest in whatever horrible slop Datamon intended to feed these things, and by extension, myself.

However, surprisingly, a Digimon chose to plant their tray onto the table I sat at, the Digimon was small, so small it had to sit itself on the table itself rather than the seat in front of it. The Digimon resembled an orange hamster with batwings for ears, it's eyes were a vibrant blue, giving it a childish like innocence, despite it's situation, it wore a bright smile on it's face.

I sat there, watching the thing, waiting for it to enact it's revenge upon the Digimon Queen, but instead, it offered me a bit of it's bread, "You're going to need it, we don't get many food breaks around here," It said in a high pitched, child like voice, it's tiny little hands pushing the bit of bread towards me.

Confused, I took it, the bread was clearly stale, but I expected that, "I'm surprised you care, considering who I am," I said, I couldn't help but be suspicious, the looks the others had been giving me told me I didn't exactly have the best reputation with these things, this one being kind enough to offer me some of it's food seemed… odd.

The Digimon simply giggled, "Well, if you're here, you aren't the queen anymore, you're in the same boat as us now, the others don't see it that way, but they will in time," He said, the comment about me not being queen anymore stung a little, for all tense and purposes, he wasn't wrong, as long as I was here, I wasn't the queen anymore, just another slave working in Datamon's factory. "Besides, I think you could use a friend here, considering where you are," He added.

That last one confused me a little, why did this thing care about **my** well being? I was responsible for a good amount of these things being here, why the hell would it want to help me? "Why do you care?" I asked him, slightly out of curiosity mostly.

The Digimon shot me another smile, "Why not? You have feelings too don't you?" He said, as if my question was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, I just couldn't wrap my head around this thing, was there a glitch with his AI? Why would this thing have any sympathy for the woman who, for all he knows, had a hand in trapping him here! It just didn't make sense.

After that, the bell rang again, telling me it was time to get back to work, "Well, we'd better get back to work, the Hagurumon here can be pretty nasty if you don't hurry," The Digimon said before flying off, something wasn't adding up here, I just don't understand why he'd be so forgiving, but I'd ponder this later, I had work to do…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Okamon had lead us through the subway tunnels, informing us that Datamon had shut them down because he didn't think they were of any use, kind a weird but hey, it gave us a means to move through the city without Commandramon getting assaulted by Datamon's mind control beams so I wasn't complaining. Okamon had been using a sustained "Shadow Shot" to light the way, the irony of an attack called " _Shadow_ Shot" being our only light source was not lost on me.

Commandramon still seemed to be a bit out of it, stumbling slightly as he walked like a drunk college kid trying to get back home after a wild keg party. "You okay dude?" I asked him, hoping he wasn't about to vomit or something, could cyborg Digimon vomit? On second thought, some questions are better left unanswered…

Commandramon drunkenly stumbled towards my side, "I'm… sorry sir, my brain is still a bit scrambled by Datamon's program, it's still a bit hard for me to think straight," He explained, that program must have done some serious damage, considering he was **still** reeling from it, which made me glad we were staying underground where said program couldn't get him.

Okamon turned his golden eyes in our direction, "It will probably take him a while to recover Jason, he's lucky all it did was give him a headache," He said, I didn't even want to begin to theorize what _could_ have happened, watching that program infect him was a horrific sight that I would rather not think about more than I had to.

Ross turned towards our lupine guide, "So, I have to ask, why does Datamon hate the queen? Isn't he one of the King's lackeys?" He asked, it was an important question for sure.

But Okamon shook his head, "Datamon's never liked Bridget, he always felt he deserved to be the King's right hand man instead of Bridget, he probably thinks if he makes Bridget disappear, then he'll be able to take her place at his side," He explained, so basically he was jealous of her. Good to know that the evil overlord of this robot city of doom was about as petty as a teenage girl who just lost the boy of her dreams to someone else.

Okamon then stopped suddenly, "The industrial district is right above us," He said, I looked around, I didn't see any means for us to get up there from here, no manhole covers, ladders, or anything really.

Ross crossed his arms, "And how exactly are we supposed to get up there from here? I don't exactly see a lift around here or anything," He pointed out rather sarcastically, he wasn't wrong, but I didn't think it was necessary to be so… rude about it.

Okamon said nothing, instead killing the Shadow Shot flame, leaving us all in blackness, " _ **OKAMI HOWL!**_ " He suddenly yelled, before a **very** loud howl sounded, I had to cover my ears it was so loud! Suddenly a giant hole was formed, casting a light upon Okamon, "We don't have time to waste trying to find another exit," He said before leaping through the hole with relative ease.

I just looked at the hole, there was no way we'd be able to reach that thing, before I began to think Okamon had just ditched us down here, a rope lowered itself into the hole, "Hurry, before Datamon's patrols spot us," Said Okamon, letting us know he intended on us climbing said rope, how the hell he found it I had no clue, but, best not look a gift horse in the mouth…

Ross was the first to climb up, Hawkmon hovering over him, as if waiting for him to lose his grip so he could swoop in and catch him, the image of Hawkmon trying to haul Ross into the air was amusing to say the least, but Ross was able to climb the rope just fine on his own. Kate was next, she effortlessly scaled the rope, I guess this wasn't the first time she'd climbed a rope, Psychemon however had a bit more trouble, taking more than a few minutes to get up the rope.

Gaomon didn't even wait for Psychemon to finish climbing before scaling the rope himself. "Come on Psychemon! It's not that hard!" Gaomon shouted up at Psychemon, god was Gaomon pushy sometimes…

Psychemon struggled to pull himself up over the edge of the hole, his little magenta legs wiggling around trying to pull himself up, but he managed it eventually, Gaomon following him up shortly after, Ethan grabbed onto the rope before looking to me, "Man, it's just like gym class," He commented before beginning his ascent, he struggled a little, but managed to reach the top eventually.

I looked to Commandramon, expecting him to go next, "You go Jason, it's better I go last, in case something finds us down here," He said, I doubted that was the reason, he was probably still reeling from the program and didn't want to admit it, but I complied none the less, I tried my best to get up the rope, having some not so pleasant flashbacks to PE class, but after a while, I managed to reach the top, Okamon of all people grabbing me by the hand to pull me up.

I looked down the hole to see Commandramon had begun to scale the rope, but he seemed to be taking his time, slowly making his way up, but eventually he managed to make it to the top, me pulling him up.

With everyone on the surface now I decided to look at my surroundings, the place was almost barren, we were surrounded by dirt on all sides, with tiny tufts of brown grass peppered here and there, the factory seemed to be surrounded by water, at least, I **think** it was water, it was a sickly green color, and smelt horrible, I had to cover my nose the stench was so bad.

Kate seemed to be just as repulsed by the stench as he covered her own nose, "God! This place reeks!" She commented.

Okamon approached the front door, "Come, we don't have much time, his patrols will be making their rounds anytime now," He said, one could question the wisdom of using the front door, but I wasn't about to brave the storm drains that the putrid water was funneling from so, front door it was.

The door opened with a loud whine, revealing a straight hallway, windows lining both sides that overlooks the factory workers within, unsurprisingly, said workers were more enslaved Digimon, each stuck at a machine, creating more Commandramon for The King's army it seemed, every one of them looking about as miserable as the ones at the queen's slave camp.

However, suddenly the screens in the halls turned on, revealing some kind of robot Digimon, I assumed this was Datamon, "Ah… the fabled Digidestined have decided to join me in my factory! And what's this? You have the queen's pet Okamon with you? How sweet," He said, yup this was Datamon, and he was every bit as much a jerk as I thought he'd be.

However, suddenly the image changed to that of a man, a **human** man, he looked to be in his late thirties, his hair was long and black, with a chin strap beard running down his jawline, his eyes glowing an unnatural red, "So… these are the Digidestined I heard so much about, and Okamon, I have to say I'm quite disappointed in you, joining with **them** , but no matter, you will all be dealt with in time," He said, wait… was this the Digimon King?

Okamon stayed still as stone, "I'm only working with them to rescue Bridget," He pointed out.

The King shook his head, "It is, unfortunate what happened to Ms. Shuno, but you must understand that you and her have become a liability, I'll be sure to tell her you stopped by next time I see her, and how you **died** with the Digidestiend." He said before the screen went black, sirens began to blare as Commandramon began to fill the room.

And to think… everything was going **so** well up to now…

* * *

 **A/N- It seems our heroes are in for the fight of their lives as they try to survive Datamon's trap and rescue the Digimon Queen! But it seems the King is less than upset about her current predicament, what does this mean for her? Well you'll just have to wait to find out!**


	15. Power From Within

**Chapter 15: Power From Within**

* * *

We all just stood there as a swarm of Commandramon flooded the room, I can't believe we just blundered into Datamon's trap, and all to save the girl that, remember, tried to kill the Commandramon that was now my partner. Life is stupid sometimes… ya know?

Ethan looked around, "Crap! Look at them all! How are we gonna beat them all?" Ethan asked, clearly panicked given his expression.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ross said, "We kick their asses and shove them right up Datamon's ass!" He added, thanks for that image Ross.

Okamon nodded, "We have no choice, we have to get through them to get to Bridget," He said.

Before more could be said, the Digimon leaped into action, trying to fight off the horde of gun wielding cyborgs, it then occurred to me that this hallways wasn't exactly the best place to have an epic battle, the hall was so narrow, surrounded by glass on both sides, one hard hit would send someone crashing through the glass and into the workshop.

Worse yet, it seemed that the Digimon weren't doing well, the crowd easily overwhelming them! God it was like watching a zombie hoard overtake an unfortunate survivor, seeing Commandramon get swallowed up by a pile of his former comrades was disheartening to say the least, and here I was, powerless to stop it. Even if I could overpower them enough to free him, the others would probably just shoot me dead before I ever had the chance to reach him.

The screen turned on again, Datamon having himself a hearty laugh over his apparent victory, "You really thought you could beat me? HA! You fleshbags are nothing in the face of **my** brilliance!" He gloated, god this guy was an arrogant asshole. "You all might as well surrender now, you can have nice lives as my personal servants," He said. Yeah… how about no?

I reached in my pocket, if I could Digivolve Commandramon to Sealsdramon again, we might stand a better chance against the Commandramon horde, but problem was, I had no clue how to work this thing. It would have been nice if Kentaruosmon had taught us how to use these things instead of sending us on our way with little more than a pat on the back. There had to be a way… a way for me to use this thing… but how?

I began to brainstorm as the fight slipped more and more out of hand, time was running out and I wasn't any closer to solving the issue than I was at the start, there had to be a way! But… before I could solve the problem…

"JASON! LOOK OUT!"

Ross' voice had snapped me out of my brainstorm, but not quickly enough to stop the Commandramon from whacking me in the head with the butt of his rifle, I stumbled back, head spinning, before I hit the glass window. The impact of my body hitting the glass window caused it to crack. Before I could clear the cobwebs, another Commandramon tackled me through, a vicious spear that would have made Goldberg jealous. I was falling, quite far, before we both hit the hard cement floor with a loud thud, pain shot through my back as my head began to spin, I couldn't tell up from down, and my efforts to move my limbs were in vain.

Did… did I just die? No… can't be dead… I wouldn't be in so much pain if I were dead… right? I opened my eyes to see the ceiling of the workshop, so definitely not dead, unless hell was a factory, which come to think of it, wouldn't be too far fetched. I couldn't really hear anything, the sounds I did hear were muffled, like someone was plugging their fingers into my ears, I could hear faint gunshots, and what sounded like screaming.

As I began to regain some focus and hear better, I could make out what was being yelled, "GET AWAY FROM HIM! I'LL KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU BASTARDS IF I HAVE TO!" It was Commandramon, and he sounded quite angry to put it nicely, it was bizarre, given how calm and collected he usually was, I tried to move, rolling onto my side, but I still wasn't all there, my body wanting to just lay there instead. I then felt something grab the back of my shirt.

With a violent yank I was forced to sit upright, someone was dragging me, I still couldn't move anything a part from my eyes, but one look at an all too familiar assault rifle, and I knew what was happening, Commandramon was trying to drag me out of the battle, like a soldier would a wounded comrade. He dragged me to a corner, where none of the other Commandramon could get me with their gunfire.

Commandramon then stood right in front of me, looking me over, "Jason! JASON! Can you hear me? Are you alright?" He said, I could detect a hint of panic in his voice. I wanted to say something, anything to put him at ease… but all I could muster was some incoherent babble, my head was throbbing, like someone was driving a pike through it, god I think I have a concussion. "You have a head injury, but you're going to be okay… just stay with me okay?" Commandramon pleaded.

Yup, called that one, he didn't specify **what** head injury I had, but the fact I had any at all was worrying enough on it's own, oh god what if I'm paralyzed? God… thinking was getting harder now… I think I must have taken a much nastier bump than I thought, I had to fight just to keep myself from slipping away… god… why me?

I wonder if this was how dad felt before he passed? Lost and confused, head throbbing as he could barely string a thought together? I wonder… what would happen if I died? How would mom and Shaun deal with it? Or would this be like Corpse Party and I'd be erased from existence… only remembered by the few people who had come here with me? God… I am such a nerd…

* * *

Jason's condition was critical, he was conscious, but barely, his eyes were open, but empty, my scanners indicate he has a mild concussion, possibly even a skull fracture… I had never felt so many emotions before, we Commandramon were taught to suppress them, they only got in the way, but… I couldn't… I had lost it when Jason went through the window, I don't even know how many of my former comrades I gunned down in that rage. But now… I felt… afraid… afraid for another, the first time I had ever felt that way…

Jason was wounded, possibly even dying, I was supposed to protect him! That was my mission after all, and I failed. But it… wasn't just that… I've failed missions before and never even came close to feeling like this… Jason was my friend… he… he made me feel like I was my own Digimon… he even treated me as such, ever since I was first activated, I was just a simple cog in the D-Brigade machine… just a number… no one I worked under, Datamon, the king, the queen, none of them ever treated me as anything apart from a simple number… just another Commandramon that made up the great D-Brigade army…

But… Jason was different… he saw me as… more… ever since I met him he perplexed me, he never treated me like the other did, he treated me like I was one of his friends, an individual, not a part of a collective. He never got upset with me when I messed up or talked out of turn, I… I never even thought about it until now… but… I think that's all I had ever wanted… was to be treated like my own person, to break free of the collective… to feel… alive.

Jason then suddenly began to stir, rolling over to his side, "No dad… don't… go out… too… rainy… uhg.." he mumbled, I couldn't even begin to guess what was going on in his head right now, but it at least let me know he was still alive.

I had to get him out of here, in the state he was in he wouldn't survive long in a battlefield like this, thankfully, I had the schematics of the facility in my CPU, there was an infirmary not too far from our current location, Datamon used it to keep his workers in working condition, more for efficiency than out of any concern for their health. I had to be careful how much I moved Jason, his condition was delicate, and any wrong move could kill him or cause permanent damage.

I carefully hoisted him over my shoulder, "Don't worry Jason, I'll save you… I promise," I said, I doubted he could hear me, but I needed to say it, I had an objective now, if I could get him in a healing pod, I might actually be able to stabilize him.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

The alarms were blaring, I guess I shouldn't have been **too** surprised that someone would attack this facility, there were three possibilities, it was either the rebels, Okamon, or the Digidestined, the latter two were more preferable, because if it was the rebels, well they'd either leave me for dead, or outright kill me.

A platoon of Commandramon came into the room, "Okay, everyone stays in this room, don't even **think** about trying to escape!" One said, of course given my history with these things, I knew they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, I wasn't staying here! I stepped out into the open, causing them to ready their guns, "HOLD IT! Don't even try it human, or I'll kill you right now!" One warned me.

I crossed my arms, "Please, I've ordered your kind around before, you think either of you clowns scare me?" I said, it was a bluff of course, even with how incompetent they were, from this range they could still easily kill me, but I was hoping I would intimidate them enough to get them to stand aside.

No such luck unfortunately, one instantly shot at me, I felt the sharp bullet penetrate my right leg, thank god their aim is terrible, but I still fell to the floor, my wounded leg wasn't up to holding my weight up. God… for a simulation… this still hurt like hell… the Commandramon moved in closer, aiming his gun right at my forehead. "You have no power over us anymore, "queen"." He snarled.

For the first time since I had ever come to this fake world I actually felt… fear… simulation or not, it was clear these things could still hurt me… and in this case, they were gonna prove true or false if they could actually **kill** me here too. I closed my eyes, and awaited the inevitable… when suddenly…

" _ **BOOM BUBBLE!"**_

I opened my eyes to find the Commandramon on the ground, suddenly the Patamon from before stood between me and the Commandramon, "We've had enough of **you** and your king bullying us! I'm not going to sit here and watch you kill a helpless human either!" Said Patamon, this was strange, it conflicted with everything I knew about this program, they're supposed to hate me aren't they?

The Commandramon didn't seem all that threatened by the little Digimon, "How cute, the queen has a fan," One of the Commandramon mused, aiming his gun right at Patamon.

But then…

"Neither am I!"

"Yeah! You leave her alone!"

"Not even the queen deserves **this**!"

The Digimon in the room all began to crowd in front of me, I couldn't even see the Commandramon anymore from behind the collection of Digimon that had for whatever reason, decided to defend me. What was happening? This can't be happening! How can a simple program understand such complex ethics? To learn forgiveness, compassion, and a sense of right or wrong? If they could understand that, whose to say they couldn't feel happiness? Anger? Fear? Or… even pain...

Was I… was I wrong?

That blonde kid's words from the first time I had encountered the Digidestined began to play again in my head, _"_ _Maybe it's all fake to you, but the pain you and your king are causing is all too real! These are real creatures! With real feelings! You've let your apathy turn you into a monster!"_ Was he right? **Had** I let my apathy turn me into a monster? I thought it was just a program… a game… but my hurt leg and the compassion of the Digimon that now surrounded me threw that all into question…

I had mocked that boy for thinking they were real creatures with real feelings, but… it was beginning to look like **I** was the one who was the fool, I didn't **want** to believe they were real… that they were more than just programs to vent my anger upon, what have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

I began to hold my head, curl up into a ball, and scream, the guilt was beginning to flood my mind like an ocean of despair, threatening to take me away and drown me in my own wrong doings. "What's she doing?" One of the Digimon asked.

Some of them began to huddle around me while the others stood their ground. But I couldn't bring myself to even look at them, what have I done? Oh god… "I'm so sorry… what have I done?! Oh god what have I done?!" I screamed, I was losing my mind… I just couldn't cope with it… images of me abusing and killing innocent Digimon began to play on endless loop in my head, given horrible new meanings by the knowledge that they felt every hit, every whipping, every single horrible thing I had done to them under the assumption that they were but mindless AI. Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!

I felt someone put their hands on me, "I think… I think she's having a nervous breakdown…" One said in disbelief, it must have been bizarre for them to see their queen in such a vulnerable state like this, broken by her own crimes. I had no one now… I was alone in a world I had tormented… god why didn't I see it sooner?! "It must be the blood loss, quick! Get her into the infirmary before it's too late!" Another Digimon suggested, he was wrong of course, but I couldn't even bring myself to correct them as they simply hoisted me off the ground and dragged me to the infirmary.

I heard the automatic door open as the Digimon rushed me inside, "Quick, get her into the healing pod!" One of them said, I felt myself being laid onto one of Datamon's healing pods, god knows why he even had them, probably just to keep injuries from hampering his factory's productivity. I heard the pod close shut, I opened my eyes to see the two Digimon activate the machine. "She should be fine, we should guard the door, make sure those Commandramon don't get in here!" One of them suggested, and with that, they left…. Leaving me alone in the healing pod with my guilt…

What the hell was I going to do now? How could I face this world again knowing what I knew? The cool, gentle ping of the healing pod going to work brought me little comfort, how could I have let myself sink so far? Would anyone forgive me? I didn't even think Okamon would forgive me, if he even knew where I was. I was going to die here… alone… hated by everyone… including myself.

I suddenly heard the doors of the infirmary open, the ones on the far end of the room, a second entrance? I guess they forgot to guard that one, god they even make **mistakes** like living creatures! I moved my head to see that a Commandramon had found his way in, but he had a human slung over his back, upon further inspection I recognized it as the blonde kid from before. The one that had turned a Commandramon against me.

Said Commandramon proceeded to put him into a healing pod, the boy looked lifeless, almost dead, he had cuts all over his body, and blood trickling down his forehead, the Commandramon seemed surprisingly worried as he activated the healing pod, "There you go Jason, you'll be okay now..." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

He then noticed me in the other pod, at first he was surprised, but that quickly melted away into anger, "You..." He snarled, before pressing his gun right up to the glass of the pod, aimed right at my head, "This is all **your** fault! The only reason we came here was because Okamon wanted us to help him rescue you! Now the first friend I've ever had is barely clinging to life… all because of your damn KING!" He roared, tears began to pour from his eyes, his rage was overtaking him, and honestly, I couldn't blame him… it was my fault… all of this was…

Commandramon kept the gun aimed at my head, but I could see his hands shaking, "We should have left you here to rot! It's what you deserve! But… Jason wanted to help you despite all you've done to us! Did you know that? For some reason he thought you deserved our help! And now he's barely alive…" He choked, I remember Datamon telling me that the Commandramon were trained to suppress their emotions, and it was clear this one wasn't used to having them, as he easily let them overwhelm him. "And here you are, healing yourself! How many of the workers did you let die to get here huh?! Why should they live instead of the Digimon Queen right?! You don't care who you hurt, as long as you get what you want! Well you're not getting away with it this time! This time… I end you!" He growled.

He was wrong about that last part of course, but I doubted he'd believe me even if I told him, he was too wrapped up in his own anger to listen. I was doomed here, helpless, at the mercy of a grief stricken Digimon who had no idea how to handle his feelings. It was kind of ironic really, killed by a Digimon overcome by the very thing I thought they didn't have.

However, suddenly the two Digimon from before had come back into the room and began to wrestle the Commandramon to the ground, "How the hell did it get **in** here?!" One of them asked as they struggled to keep him down.

The Commandramon began to thrash violently in an effort to get himself free, "NO! Let me go! Let me go damn you! She has to pay! She has to… for what she did to… to..." He screamed before finally breaking down, the two Digimon had no clue what to think, as they both gave each other confused looks, surely having never seen a Commandramon this emotionally broken before… I couldn't even bring myself to say a word.

I looked to the boy in the pod, I had expected Okamon to try to rescue me, but I never thought he'd turn to the Digidestined to do it, and I never thought they'd agree to it, he wanted to save me, despite what I had done to him, and his friends, and he had nearly gotten killed doing it, by Datamon no doubt… but why would he help me? Knowing what I had done? Why…?

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Things were getting hectic here, I can't believe Jason had gone through the window! And now the fight had spilled into the workshop, thankfully giving us some breathing room, but yet the horde had gained a few new members along the way.

Digimon that could only be described as living gears with faces, and of course, Sealsdramon. Meaning Gaomon and the rest of our partners were screwed. I had to digivolve him again, but I had no clue how. I guess that was why Jason got distracted by his Digivice before his defenestration. God dammit! How do I make him Digivolve?! I began to press buttons wildly, hoping against all hope that one of them would do **something**! COME ON!

Gaomon found himself sent into a workbench, hitting it was an unsettling crack, "Ethan… if it's not too much trouble, would you mind maybe Digivolving me to Gaogamon? I'm kind of at a disadvantage here!" He said before barely managing to dodge one of the Sealsdramon's knives. I would love to man, believe me, but I had no idea how to work this stupid thing! Would it have killed Kentaruosmon to make these things come with an instruction manual or something?

I then began to try to remember what it was that Kentaruosmon had told us before, something about the powers of these things being linked to our strongest traits… what the hell did that even **mean** anyway? I had a hunch that it somehow connected to my Digivolution issue, if only I could find out what the trait for mine was…

I thought back to that night at the Ninjamon camp, Gaomon arriving on the scene, getting wrecked by the Ninjamon, but then… something triggered my Digispirit, what was it though? I tried to remember what happened leading up to the digivolution, I remember Gaomon getting his ass kicked, I got worried, grabbed a stick and clocked them… but I didn't exactly have access to one, and I wasn't about to try to pick a fight with a knife wielding cyborg. No it had to be something else… what was I thinking during that?

"I won't let them do this to my friend"

My friend…

Friend…

Something about that word just sort of, clicked in my head, friend… friendship? I did have a few friends back home after all, and I like to think I'm a good friend… was friendship my Digispirit trigger thing? I decided to try that, focus on my friendship with Gaomon, it was corny as hell, and if it worked my god is this world cheesy, but I tried it none the less. Sure enough I saw the weird blue glow around my hand again… it was that easy?

I held my Digivice out, "Digispirit… CHARGE!" I said, before the light beam shot at Gaomon, I cannot believe the power of friendship is actually my superpower, god Captain Planet wasn't this hokey… but hey it was working so… why complain right?

" _ **Gaomon Digivolve too… GAOGAMON!"**_ Gaomon cried before shifting into Gaogamon, I had done it! I figured it out! And my teachers say I can't figure things out on my own! HA! Proved _them_ wrong! The Sealsdramon knew exactly what was happening too, they knew they were screwed. "Now that the playing field is even..." Gaogamon began before leaping into the air, "DOUBLE DASH CLAW!" He cried, the attack hit, cleaving through both of them like a hot knife through butter.

Ross ran up to me, "How the hell did you do that?" He asked me, I couldn't help but feel a bit smug… I figured Digivolution out before everyone else did!

But I needed to focus, having Hawkmon in champion form would help our odds a lot. "I just focused on my "strongest trait", that's it," I said, Ross clearly had no idea what that meant, "Mine was friendship, you just need to figure out yours dude," I added, hoping to clear it up a little for him.

Ross raised an eyebrow, but figured he wasn't in any position to argue, closed his eyes, and focused, after a few seconds, his hand came alive with it's own glow, "Mine's… hope… I guess," He said, oh man that's even cornier than mine! But hey, can't argue with results right?

Ross began his own Digivolution morphing sequence thing, causing Hawkmon to take on his Champion form too, _**"Hawkmon Digivolve too… AQUILAMON!"**_ He shouted before his new form was revealed, this being the first time I'd seen it due to being unconscious the last time he apparently took this form, and shock of all shocks, it was a giant bird.

So both Champions went to work on beating back the crowds, man this was cool! Ya know, if more battles were like **this** , this whole Digidestined gig would actually be kinda sick, it was like watching a Kaiju movie in person, except with giant dogs and birds instead of lizards.

Kate and Psychemon run up to us, "Well that's great for you guys, but I've never gotten the chance to digivolve Psychemon," She said, that was a good point actually, but odder still I noticed Psychemon get a bit uncomfortable when Kate mentioned Digivolving, I'd question this, but Psychemon was afraid of everything, so this was kinda just his default position.

I turned to Kate, "Maybe you and Psychemon should see if you can find Jason, dude can't be in good shape after going through that window, he could be hurt and in need of help," I suggested, come to think of it, I hadn't seen any sign of Jason or Commandramon after the latter went ballistic when the former ate it through a two story window. Knowing Commandramon he probably moved him away from the fight so he wouldn't get hurt any worse than he no doubt had.

Kate nodded and ran off to do just that, between me and Ross, I think we've got these guys handled, and I didn't wanna risk Kate or Psychemon due to the latter's inability to Digivolve.

But then something occurred to me, I looked around the room but saw no signs of a certain someone, "Hey… where's Okamon?" I asked, I looked all around but saw no signs of our temporary alley. Every bad guy in the room was either getting their asses kicked by Gaogamon and Aquilamon, or rushing forward to said ass kicking.

Ross looked around as well, "He must have ducked out of the fight to find the queen," He suggested, he was probably right, he didn't really have that much reason to be loyal to any of us, so I doubted he had any reservations about ditching us to fight these things by ourselves while he went to rescue his master.

God, I knew working with him was a bad idea…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Bridget had to be in here somewhere, I was conflicted with leaving the Digidestined to fend for themselves, but they were a resilient bunch, I doubted Datamon's stooges would be able to take them down so easily. Besides, the longer I waited, the more danger Bridget found herself in.

I turned the next corner, Datamon's factories where intentionally designed to be mazes, so that Digimon hoping to escape would end up getting lost and eventually caught by security. But I was a lot smarter than Datamon's usual "guests", and I had someone's life depending on me right now, both would be enough to get me through here.

I managed to make it to the cafeteria, the doors opened to reveal a massacre, the room was covered in broken wood, bullet holes, and shell casings, a fight had definitely broken out in here, I guess the prisoners decided to take our break in as an opportunity to riot against the guards. Very few Digimon remained, and those Digimon, if they weren't on their way to dying anyway, were gravely wounded.

"Wh… who are you?"

I looked down at my feet to see a Patamon standing before me, he looked beaten but alive, I knelt down, "I'm, looking for someone, the Digimon Queen, she's being held at this facility, have you seen her?" I asked, it was a slim chance, but it was something.

The Patamon looked behind him before returning his gaze at me, "She's in the infirmary, she got shot in the leg earlier and we were trying to heal her, I haven't checked since then though..." He said.

I gave the small Digimon a nod, "Thank you, I appreciate you trying to help her, despite her past," I said before leaving for the infirmary. The doors opened to reveal a Gabumon and a Veemon standing there, and given their stances, they weren't going to let me through. "Relax! I'm not looking for a fight," I told them.

Of course, neither believed me, "Back off! Neither you or any of your king's cronies are getting in here!" The Veemon threatened me, I could easily take them both in a fight, but I didn't want to risk Bridget getting hurt in the fight.

"It's okay, he's friendly,"

I looked to see Jason's Commandramon standing in the far corner, what was **he** doing here? However one look to the healing pod behind him answered that question, it seems Jason had taken a nastier fall than I had thought, as he still looked to be in bad shape despite being in a healing pod for who knows how long.

However, something seemed… off about the Commandramon, he looked tense, agitated, like he wanted to up and attack me almost. But the Veemon and Gabumon let me through regardless, there Bridget sat in the far corner, looking off to the side, I could see sadness in her eyes even from here.

I approached her, "Bridget, are you alright?" I asked, no response. She just sat there, motionless, like a statue. I knelt down in front of her, "Bridget, the king's betrayed us… he knew Datamon had you, and claimed we were a liability," I explained, hoping this would cause some kind of reaction from her.

And it did, but it wasn't much, "I… how could I have not known… how much I hurt them? All of them?" She said, her voice was weak, full of regret, it seems her actions as the queen had finally gotten to her…

I turned to the others, "Could you give us a minute, me and Bridget need to talk," I asked, the others all looked at me, the Gabumon and the Veemon complied, leaving through the doors without so much as a single word.

But Commandramon, "I'm not leaving Jason," He said, he kept giving me this hateful look, like Jason's condition was my fault, he wasn't going to budge, I could tell by his body language he was ready to fight me if he had to.

But the problem was, Bridget didn't like showing her emotions around people, I'd never be able to get her to open up with him in the room. "Commandramon, please, it will only be for a moment, I'll let you know if anything happens to Jason," I told him.

Commandramon was reluctant, but agreed, leaving the room without a word, I turned back to Bridget, "Bridget, you shouldn't let this get to you," I told her, Bridget was good at hiding her emotions, but not so much at controlling them, I've had conversations like this with her before, but this time seemed to be quite different.

She slammed her hands into the arms of the chair she was sitting in, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" She screamed, tears began to flow down her cheeks, "They **were** real all this time! I was hurting them and I didn't care! I didn't want to believe they could hurt, all I cared about was relieving my own pain! How can I live with the things I've done now?! Why didn't you tell me?! You're a Digimon too you **knew** I was hurting them! Why didn't you say anything?!" She asked me.

I shook my head, I had good reason to keep it from her, "Because I knew you wouldn't be able to cope with it otherwise, all I wanted was for **you** to be happy, I know I should have steered you in the right path now, but I thought if I let you join the king, you might be able to finally have peace," I explained, Bridget had a lot of regrets even before she first came to the Digital World, she needed an escape from it, and I thought by letting her join the Digimon King that she would be able to move on, it was after all what he had promised her when the first met.

Bridget just sat there, sobbing softly, "Jason was right… I let myself become a monster, I let it happen because I wanted to believe I wasn't hurting anyone… that it was all just pretend… but… after those Digimon rose to defend me… I realized I was wrong… and now… you tell me that even the king's turned on me… what am I supposed to do now?! I have no one now… the king hates me, the Digimon hate me, who do I have?" She asked me.

I let out a small sigh, she was lost in her own despair again, exactly the place where I had found her so long ago, "I don't hate you," I told her, "I came here to save you Bridget, not for the king, but because you're my friend… my loyalties have always been to you, not him," I explained, Bridget was my tamer, this broken girl who needed someone she could rely on, now more than ever she felt alone, but she wasn't.

I took her hand, and helped her out of the chair, "Come on, we should get out of here," I told her, she took a minute, but gave me a nod.

"Aw… how touching,"

Me and Bridget turned to see we were not alone in this room, out of the darkness stepped an all too familiar robot Digimon, Datamon… "It's so unfortunate that the king has abandoned you dear, but that's what happens when you're a worthless failure!" Datamon mused.

I moved Bridget behind me, "You're the one who's worthless Datamon! We don't need the king or anyone else!" I barked back, I knew I couldn't take Datamon in a fight, he was too powerful, I had to get her out of here.

Datamon laughed, "How cute, but I'm afraid neither of you are leaving here alive Okamon, especially her… I've always wanted to kill that worthless bitch! And I'm sure as hell not going to pass this chance up!" He sneered.

This was bad, I couldn't take an ultimate in a straight up fight, I was only a rookie, even if I could Digivolve, I doubt I'd be able to take him even at Champion.

Datamon moved in closer, "Oh you know it don't you Okamon? How doomed you really are… you know you can't fight me, face it you overgrown mutt, you and your ignoramus of a tamer were never going to survive! I've won! And when I'm done with you two, the Digidestined will be next! And **no one** will be able to stand in my way!" He cackled, I had no choice, I couldn't leave him alone in the room with Jason still recovering in the healing pod, I knew Datamon too well to think he wouldn't take advantage of a helpless enemy like that.

I had no choice, I'd have to stand my ground… even if it was hopeless.

* * *

 **A/N: Uh oh! It looks like Datamon is done waiting for his chance to finally kill Bridget! Will Okamon be able to stop Datamon?**

 **I just wanna say, I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long to come out, I've been busy lately, and with Thanksgiving and all the stuff leading into it, I didn't exactly have a lot of time to sit down and write ya know?**


	16. More than a Machine

**Chapter 16: More than a Machine**

* * *

It had been a good while since Okamon ushered us out of the room, I was growing more and more tense as the seconds passed by, I hated leaving Jason's side when he was in such a vulnerable state, but I refused to start a fight with him in the room, one stray bullet or missed attack could have made things much worse.

 _ **CLANG! THUNG!**_

I jumped, something was happening in there! I knew I shouldn't have left his side! I ran back to the door, but it wouldn't open! I tried and tried but the door just wouldn't budge! No no no no! Not like this! OPEN! Even with my robotic strength I couldn't even get it to budge.

"Commandramon what's going on?" I heard Patamon ask, another loud bang answered his question instantly. Someone was fighting in there, and Jason was right in the crossfire, helpless and trapped in a healing pod! I had to get in there!

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

This was **not** going well, Datamon was too powerful, and was easily beating me. I could barely move without Datamon smacking me into a wall or slamming me into the floor. I could tell by his manic laughter that he was enjoying this, he could easily kill me with one shot, but he clearly wanted to drag this out, toy with me, and there was nothing I could do.

Datamon's laughter echoed through the infirmary, "You foolish mutt! You really thought you could fight me off? That you could walk in here with those idiot Digidestined and what? Save this foolish girl? Look at her, she's already broken, and soon, you will be too!" He said, before ensnaring me in one of his metallic arms, and throwing me through a door at the end of the room.

I crashed through the metal door and rolled helplessly across the floor before finally being able to catch myself. I was now in a large and empty room, it almost looked like a hanger of some kind, despite my knowledge of the Metal Empire I didn't know what this room was for. But I had bigger problems, Datamon wasted no time in pursuing me, coming in through the new hole he had made. "Oh come now Okamon, where is that "instinct" you boasted about so much? I thought I was inferior according to you because I relied too much on logic? It appears to me it's quite the opposite," He said, god I hated this Digimon…

I had to keep him distracted, I couldn't let him break from me to attack Bridget or Jason, I might not be able to fight him, but I can still dodge him. "Your ego will be your own downfall Datamon," I said, getting him good and riled would keep his focus on me. Datamon wasn't hard to figure out, he was egotistical, and lashed out whenever anyone said he was even slightly less than perfect.

And my plan worked, I could see the anger in his eyes, or… eye.. rather, "Worthless words from a worthless Digimon! I am perfection! And after I'm done with you **and** the Digidestined, I'm going to overthrow the king, and then the whole Digital World will be like the Metal Empire! Ruthless, efficient, and without weaknesses!" He boasted as he missed another swing of the arms. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised he lacked loyalty to even the king, Datamon was only out for himself.

Datamon took another swing, I wasn't able to adjust in time and took a nasty hit to the head, I was sent spiraling through the air before slamming against a catwalk before plummeting to the ground. I didn't know how much more I could take, the fact I was surviving **any** blows from an ultimate like Datamon was surprising by itself, but I doubted my luck would continue much longer.

I was beginning to regret not bringing at least one of the Digidestined with me, they might have the ability to Digivolve to Champion, it wasn't much, but it would certainly be better than a lone rookie getting clobbered by an ultimate. I tried to get up, but my body was beginning to give out, I could barely even move without pain shooting through my body.

Datamon moved in closer, "Aww… what's the matter Okamon? Your body giving out? Such is the weakness of flesh! You organics tire out so quickly, but I can go on forever! Face it Okamon, you lost this fight before it even began!" Datamon taunted.

This was it, I was going to die here, Datamon knew he had me, and knowing what I knew about him, he wouldn't make it quick, he'd savor it, make me suffer. My only hope now is that I bought Bridget enough time to escape, I'm sorry master… I tried…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Dammit! I couldn't get the doors open! Datamon must have locked them, Okamon couldn't take Datamon, I knew he couldn't, I hated having to rely on the Digidestined of all people, but I knew Jason had managed to Digivolve Commandramon, a champion stood a better chance against Datamon than a rookie like Okamon.

I tried to pry the doors open but they didn't even budge, all I was going to accomplish by pulling more was dislocating my shoulder, there had to be a way! I looked back at the doorway Datamon had sent Okamon through, I couldn't even bring myself to look longer than a few moments though, I knew Okamon was doomed, I didn't want to watch him get killed… it'd be too much.

I looked around for some alternate way out, the other door was locked too, because of course it was, Datamon didn't want me getting out, or anyone getting in to help me.

I then noticed a vent cover above the workstation where Datamon repaired his precious robots, I quickly rummaged through the drawers, before I managed to find a lone screwdriver, I quickly snatched it. Now, to get the vent cover off, I carefully climbed up the work bench, it wobbled slightly from my weight, making it difficult to balance myself. I managed to reach just high enough to get the top screws out, then the bottom two, the vent cover clanged loudly as it tumbled to the floor, I then heard an all too familiar sound drawing closer, oh god no…

Datamon suddenly appeared from the doorway, "Oh! Aren't you a clever little minx! But I'm not letting you go **that** easily little girl!" He said before he tore me from the work bench, sending me tumbling across the floor, Datamon began to approach, but stopped when he saw Jason in the healing pod, "And what do we have here? Why Bridget, where you trying to use one of my healing pods to heal a Digidestined? Well we can't have that now can we?" He said.

He was going to kill Jason! God I'm such an idiot, in my efforts to escape I managed to doom both of us! Datamon began to charge his Digital Bomb attack, no way he'd survive that! I had to think of something! I quickly took the office chair from the corner of the room and rolled it right at him, he was so busy reveling on how he was going to kill a Digidestiend he got blindsided by it, the chair scooping up his metal can of a body and sending him careening to the end of the room.

I had to get Jason out of that pod before Datamon recovered! I quickly went to work, canceling the healing protocol, he was only seventy five percent done, but I had no time to wait, the pod opened and I scooped Jason out of the bed, and ran. "GET BACK HERE YOU TRAITOR! I'LL KILL YOU!" Datamon roared from the infirmary.

I ran through the hanger, I could barely handle Jason's weight, but the adrenaline helped that be a non issue, I hid behind a pile of storage crates, I could still hear the whirs and clicks of Datamon's robotic body shuffling along, trying to find me, "You can't hide from me Bridget Shuno! When I find you, and I **will** find you, I'll make sure your death is slow **and** painful!" Datamon called out.

I was a sitting duck here! It wouldn't take Datamon long to find me, and when he did, I was dead, "I've waited so long for this moment Shuno! The day I finally got to kill you! You and your worthless pet have been a thorn in my side for far too long! And now, now you pay!" He threatened as he searched the room for me.

I felt movement in my arms, I looked to see Jason was waking up, "God… what happened?" He asked, I let him out of my arms and he picked himself up, holding his head, "Where am I?" He asked.

I took a moment to let him get his barrings before answering his question, "We're in some kind of hanger, you've been healing in a pod for over an hour but I had to get you out of there before it could finish because well, Datamon's trying to kill us," I explained.

He turned to me, "Where's Commandramon?" Jason asked.

I sighed, "He's in the cafeteria just outside the infirmary, Datamon locked him and the other prisoners out, I couldn't get the doors open," I explained. However, unfortunately, we had a new problem now.

Suddenly the boxes were ripped away from their spot, revealing Datamon's ugly mug, "THERE YOU ARE!" He yelled, me and Jason both ran as fast as we could, Jason was still clearly out of it, given how he wobbled when he ran, "You can't run forever humans!" Datamon threatened.

Jason tried to keep his pace up, "Split up! He can't come after us both!" Jason suggested, and with that, we both went in different directions, I knew Datamon would choose me first, he had a personal vendetta with me, and I was right, as Datamon went straight for me.

I rounded the next corner, trying to keep my distance, you wouldn't think Datamon would be very fast, but you'd be wrong, he was **very** fast, and I was beginning to lose steam. "What's wrong Bridget? Your weak flesh giving out? That's unfortunate," Datamon taunted, god why does he have to be such an asshole?

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I kept running around the room, it seemed that Datamon had chosen to go after Bridget instead of me, Okamon had mentioned that Datamon and her had some sort of bad blood going on. So I decided to start looking for an exit, some means of getting to the others, I was useless without Commandramon, and even then I still had no clue how to digivolve him, but he still had a better chance than I did against Datamon.

However in my search, I found something else, over there in a bloody heap was Okamon, god he looked beaten, I wondered if he was even still alive, but as I got closer, I could see his stomach rising and falling, indicating he was at least still breathing. I rushed over to him, "Okamon! You alright?" I asked, of course it was a stupid question, does he **look** alright to you Jason? But I guess it was just a formality more than anything.

Okamon opened one of his eyes weakly, "J… Jason? W… where's B… Bridget?" He asked, coughing and sputtering between words, he wasn't going to last long like this, Bridget mentioned I was in a healing pod, if I could get him to one, I might be able to save him.

I scooped him up, being careful not to hurt him, "N… NO! Forget me! He'll kill her… I… I don't care what happens to me…" He protested, he tried to squirm out of my arms, but his body was far too beaten to even overpower me.

I quickly moved to the infirmary, "Dammit Jason… listen to me! Forget about me, get her out of here! PLEASE!" He pleaded with me, I know I probably should listen to him, but I couldn't leave him like that, not in good conscience.

I managed to get him into the infirmary, I guess those weird bed things were the healing pods, I gently placed the injured Digimon inside and shut the lid on him, he began to pound on the glass, "NO! Dammit! You're wasting too… too much time! Please! I'm not afraid to die… but I can't let him hurt her! Let me out!" He protested, man was he stubborn! I got him in the pod, all he was doing was wasting time crying about it.

I activated the machine, and it went to work, "Sorry, but I couldn't leave you like that, Bridget's fine if it makes you feel any better," I told him, well, she was fine **for now** , but I think it was better for him if he didn't know that. Now that he was dealt with, I needed to find a way out, I looked around the room until I noticed the vent shaft was open, I even saw it's cover on the floor. I guess Bridget had tried to escape through it, but Datamon caught her before she could.

I went over to it, "W… where are you going?" Asked Okamon, what **must** this look like to him? Poor guy probably thought I was going to cut and run.

I turned to him, "I'm getting help, you stay there and let the machine heal you, I'll be back," I said before managing to hoist myself into the vent, god I hope I could do this quickly, preferably before Datamon killed Bridget.

Man was this cramped, the vent was obviously not meant for a fully grown man to crawl through, but it was my only option, I kept going until I finally found the exit, one problem though, I couldn't get it open, the space was so cramped I couldn't even try to kick it down. I looked around in hopes that someone was there, god would it suck if I had gone in here only to get trapped… the great Digidestined of America, killed by vents and poor life choices.

I banged on the bars, "HEY! Anyone out there? I'm kinda stuck!" I called out, for a few moments, I thought no one had heard me, but soon I heard footsteps… oh god please don't let these be Datamon's robots!

Thankfully no, as I saw a pair of sneakers come into view, the figure wearing them then got on all fours, lowing their head to reveal it was Kate, "Jason? What are you doing in there?" She asked, oh thank god it was one of my fellow Digidestined.

I'd better explain, I don't know how much longer Bridget will last being chased by Datamon, "It's a long story, TL;DR, I got trapped in an infirmary, somehow got separated from Commandramon, and this vent was my only way out, you think you could get the cover off?" I asked, I doubted Kate had a screw driver handy, but it was the only hope I had here.

"Oh! I can take care of that!" Said Psychemon, Kate moved and Psychemon went to work, I couldn't tell what he was doing from where I was, but I saw a screw fall to the floor so whatever he was doing, it was working. It was only when he began to work on the bottom screws did I realize he was, somehow, unscrewing them with his horn.

I'd question it, but in my current situation, I'd rather not look a gift horse in the mouth. The vent cover then fell from it's place, allowing me to crawl out from it, "Thanks, now we've got to hurry, Bridget's not gonna last long being chased around by Datamon," I said, I had no clue where I even was now in relation to the infirmary, but I'd have to hurry.

Me, Kate, and Psychemon made our way through the halls, "Datamon's in there?" She asked as we quickened our pace.

I nodded, "Yeah, he's currently chasing Bridget through the back room hanger thing that's connected to the infirmary," I explained, in hindsight, I probably should have checked **that** room for an exit, but getting Okamon patched up kind of nixed that idea.

Man, this place was almost like a maze, winding hallways that sometimes lead to dead ends, it's like Datamon did this on purpose or something, considering his workforce was entirely slave driven, I guess he wanted to make escaping nearly impossible for anyone without a computer for a brain, but this didn't exactly help me any, Bridget wasn't going to last long by herself, we needed to get to her and fast.

Just hope she can last a little while longer…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I knew Datamon hated me, but I underestimated just how **much** he hated me. All the while I've been trying to duck him, he kept rambling on and on about how inferior I was, and that I would die here slowly and painfully. It was only a matter of time before he got to make that a reality…

I was getting worried, I was alone in here, Jason must have found an exit at some point because I hadn't seen him since we split up, I hadn't even managed to find Okamon, making me fear Datamon had indeed killed him. But I couldn't focus on that right now, I needed to focus on surviving, getting out of here alive.

Thankfully this place was full of crates I could hide behind and catch my breath, otherwise this little chase would have ended a while ago. "Why must you make things so difficult?" I heard Datamon say, "You were always so stubborn! You never knew when to just give up! Face it girl, you aren't meant to survive this encounter, I **will** kill you! It's inevitable!" He taunted.

My only hope was that Jason would find his Digimon in time, I wasn't going to last much longer like this, god if only I could Digivolve Okamon, but even if I could, Datamon took my Digivice along with everything else I had when he dumped me here. So either way, I was screwed here unless Jason could somehow get here in time, if he hadn't chosen to abandon me that is… I wouldn't blame him really, after all I'd done…

 _ **BOOM!**_

Something just exploded! I heard the loud sounds of clanging metal, it seemed someone had blown the doors in the infirmary, I could only hope it was Jason and his friends, Datamon seemed to take notice as well, "Well well, it seems someone has broken through the doors," He said, "Don't delude yourself into thinking you're saved Ms. Shuno, whoever broke those doors down will be dead soon enough!" He added before going off to do just that.

I moved in, I had to know who just broke through, but I had to be mindful not to let Datamon see me, I doubt even in this scenario he'd pass up a chance to take an open shot at me. I hid behind the wall separating this room from the infirmary, but soon I saw a Commandramon fly out from the room, hitting a stack of crates with a loud thud.

I moved to a more hidden area, I knew Datamon would be coming from that room to continue his attack on the Commandramon, "Well well, what do we have here?" Said Datamon as he closed in, "I had heard that one of the Digidestined had stolen one of my Commandramon, but not for long..." He said.

He was distracted, now was my chance! I saw a pipe on the floor, possibly knocked loose during his fight with Okamon, I grabbed it, and rushed Datamon, I knew exactly where to aim, his glass dome that protected his motherboard. I took a swing, the hardest I could muster, the glass dome shattered immediately on impact, Datamon stumbled forward, but regained his footing, "THERE YOU ARE!" He growled, "So typical of someone as simple minded as you, having to resort to dirty tactics to defeat your superior, sadly for you, my mother board is protected in a chrome Digizoid shell," He said, I wasn't trying to kill him, I knew I couldn't, I just wanted to distract him, and he was falling for it.

For all the bragging Datamon did about how "smart" he was, he was way too easy to manipulate, he was egotistical, and would never pass up a chance to brag about how great he thought he was, I needed to buy time for Jason to get back and Digivolve Commandramon, and keep Commandramon alive at the same time, both easily done by how desperate he was to prove he was better than me.

All I needed to do was keep him talking, "You know, for someone who claims he's the smartest Digimon in the Digital World, you're kind of an idiot," I said, I knew that comment would rile him up, he always lashed out when you dared question his brilliance.

And of course, he took the bait, "How **dare** you! I am more intelligent than anything in existence! You dare to question me?!" He snapped, this was too easy, I just had to be careful not to push him **too** far, or I'd risk him just killing me outright.

"Says the guy who lost one of his precious robots to a Digidestined," I snapped back.

Datamon glared at me, "First of all, he was under **your** watch when that happened, and second of all, he may be defiant now, but after I'm done with you and the rest of you pitiful humans, I'll have him reprogrammed," He said, I knew he'd throw that back at me, nothing was ever **his** fault.

"But you're the one who was supposed to program them to obey without question, so technically, it **was** your fault," I said, I could already see the anger building in that tin can body of his, nothing got to him more than claiming he made a mistake, Datamon never made mistakes, at least, according to him.

Datamon slammed his arms onto the floor, "NO! My programming is perfect! It was you! You screwed it up somehow! I don't make mistakes! I am PERFECT!" He screamed before letting out an electric burst that knocked me and Commandramon back.

Commandramon turned to me, "Well, he's angry now," He commented.

I nodded, "It's not hard, Datamon's a narcissist, all you have to do is question him and he'll go into a blind fury," I said, "Hopefully your tamer will get back here in time to make him pay for it though," I added.

Commandramon turned to me, "You woke him up?! He was still being healed!" He snapped, yeah I should have figured he'd be upset by that.

I rolled my eyes, "Datamon was about to kill him! I had to get him out of there, I had no choice!" I tried to explain to him, I wasn't exactly going to leave him there to get killed!

Commandramon took cover behind a crate and started taking shots at Datamon, the bullets bouncing uselessly against Datamon's Digiziod armor, "Where is he now?" He asked me.

I took cover on the opposite end, "I don't know, we split up in hopes one of us could find an exit! I haven't seen him since! And before you yell at me, it was **his** idea not mine!" I said, I could tell even from here Commandramon still hated me, so getting him to listen was tricky.

God, Jason where the hell are you?!

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

God dammit! How long have we been running? Where the hell even **where** we? These hallways seemed to just get us more and more lost the longer we moved through them, we eventually found another door, "Is it too much to hope this one leads to the infirmary?" Kate asked.

It probably was, but hey, no harm in trying right, the door opened to reveal an office of some sort, we all entered the room, it was covered in pictures of Datamon, god did this guy love himself, damn. "I think we just found Datamon's office," I commented.

"Hey… look at this!" Kate said, confused, I turned around and saw her holding an all too familiar robe, "He had it hanging on the wall, a trophy probably," She said, she then began to rifle through it's pockets, "Her Digivice has to be in here somewhere," She said.

Well we hadn't found Commandramon, but at least we'd found **something** of worth, with her Digivice Bridget could feasibly Digivolve Okamon. It was a victory, a small one, but a victory none the less. "Got it!" She said, producing Bridget's black Digivice. "Now all we have to do is get it to her," She added.

How the hell were we going to do that though? We had no clue where we were going! I noticed that Psychemon was rummaging through Datamon's desk, why he was doing this I didn't know, "Hey, Psychemon, what are you doing?" I asked.

Psychemon looked up, "Trying to see if he has a map or something," He said, it made sense, but there was a rather big problem with this line of thinking.

Datamon was a computer, he probably had the map to the place hardwired into his brain, why would he ever need a- "Hey! I found one!" Psychemon said, producing a rolled up paper, which he held triumphantly over his head.

Of course, why do I keep trying to apply logic to this world? This place was like wonderland, where everything made no sense and logic was for losers. Well, best not look a gift horse in the mouth, we all huddled around Datamon's desk and looked over the map, it seems my previous assumption of this factory's hallways being designed as a maze was actually pretty accurate, as each main room was connected by a maze like hall, with the cafeteria and infirmary being at the upper right, connected by a room simply labeled "Special Projects", well at least now I know what that room Bridget was in was for, sort of.

It seemed that we had been on the right track, the cafeteria wasn't that far off from the office we found ourselves in now, "Come on, we'd better hurry, Bridget's not going to last much longer on her own," I said, we all agreed and began to head for the Cafeteria, now that we knew where we were going, I felt more confident we'd reach them in time to stop Datamon.

We kept our pace down the halls, and soon enough we found the right door, the second we opened it, we found something we didn't expect…

The room was full of what I assumed where surviving prisoners, as they all wore the same blue uniform Bridget was wearing, but even stranger, the doors where blown open. Commandramon must have blown the doors somehow, which meant he was in the infirmary already and probably being chased around by Datamon, if not dead already.

We all rushed in, the infirmary was almost exactly how I left it, Okamon still in one piece inside the healing pod (thank god), the only thing out of place where the two mangled doors that laid upon the floor in crumpled heaps. Kate then noticed something, "Jason! Look out!" She said.

Before I could even question anything, she tackled me to the ground, some sort of electric surge came careening over out heads, we both turned to see Datamon had found us, "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to, it seems you've somehow managed to bring one of your useless friends to try to help you, well it won't do you any good, you and the queen will die here regardless!" He said, letting me know Bridget was at least still alive.

I got to my feet, "You don't scare me Datamon!" I said, that was a lie of course, I was actually pretty terrified, but I couldn't let him know that, I couldn't run from this, I had to stop him, who knows what would happen if Datamon was allowed to continue after this, what horrible fate he had in store for his remaining prisoners. "Me and Commandramon will stop you once and for all!" I added, trying to sound a lot more confident than I was.

Datamon glared at me, "So… you're the one who turned one of my creations against me…" He growled, "The Commandramon are **mine** boy! You had no **right** to take even one from **me**! They exist to serve **me**! Not some idiot human with delusions of heroism!" He snapped, should have figured he'd be a touch mad about that.

Before I could react, Datamon managed to grab me with one of his arms and tossed me into the next room, I hit the floor, tumbling across the floor and irritating several of my remaining injuries from before. "I was going to wait until after I killed Shuno to terminate you, but now that I know **who** you are… what you did… well, it's time for you to **pay** for your transgressions human," He said, oh wonderful, he's pissed at me now… great.

"NO!" I heard a voice call, I suddenly found myself tackled again, nearly getting blasted by another attack from Datamon, I managed to open my eyes to see Commandramon huddled over me, "Are you aright?" He asked me, I gave him a nod, words could not describe how glad I was to see him again, now if only I could digivolve him…

Datamon glared at us, "You little… you serve **me**! You will obey me! I created you! You only exist to serve **me**!" He screamed, but then… he grew a smirk, "And you **will** serve me… I have access to your programming Commandramon, I do hope you enjoyed your time with this worthless fleshbag, because it's about to end..." He said, it was only when Commandramon started clutching his head that I realized what he meant.

He was remotely hacking Commandramon, why the hell didn't I think of this before?! Of course he'd be able to do that! Dammit! And I basically just handed Commandramon to him on a silver platter! Would you like fries with your new brainwashed lackey Mr. Datamon? God I suck! All I could do was watch helplessly as Datamon reprogrammed my friend, in one small moment, hope turned to despair, my chance to fight back turned to a new weapon for Datamon to use against us.

Datamon cackled as he went to work, erasing the Digimon I had befriended with every second passed, "Don't feel so bad human, you were never meant to win, you were simply outmatched by your mental superior," He said, god I wanted to punch him, clock him right in his metal face… but I knew all that would do was break my hand, and Commandramon would be lost either way, just another mindless drone in his army…

But then, "Wait… what?! This… this can't be! He's… how is he… he can't!" Datamon said, his smug confidence had turned to fear and panic in an instant, I had no idea what was happening, I turned to my partner, he was still staining, but he had a look of determination in his face, he was fighting back… somehow he was fighting back! "You… can't stop this… you will obey! STOP FIGHTING ME!" Datamon screamed.

Commandramon stood firm, "NO!… I won't… I won't go back… To being… your slave! I am… my own Digimon! NOT A MINDLESS MACHINE!" He cried, oh my god… he's actually doing it! I think… He turned his gaze to me, "Jason… is my friend… you may… have created me Datamon… but… he… will always… be the one who taught me what I **really** was!" He winced before returning his glare to Datamon. "I'm not some mindless drone you can… manipulate to your… messed up whims… I am a living thing… with my own aspirations.. my own will! Jason taught me I could be so much more than just a machine! I am Commandramon! And I… will not… bow… to the likes… of YOU!" He said, before suddenly Datamon's metal, brain thing sparked and cracked.

Datamon stumbled, "Dammit! You overloaded my programming protocol! NO ONE DOES THAT TO ME!" He screamed, "You ungrateful little hunk of scrap! You betray your own creator for some… low life… worthless human?! Fine! You wish to be like the organics? Then you can **die** along with them!" He roared.

I got to my feet, "Looks like you're not getting him back after all Datamon, don't feel bad… you were simply outmatched by your mental superior," I said, I couldn't resist throwing his words back at him, god it felt so good to finally get a leg up on one of the King's cronies, I felt my Digivice come alive, "Digispirt… charge," I said.

Commandramon soon took the form of Sealsdramon, my courage had finally managed to make it work again, Datamon was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his smugness, "A Champion won't be enough to stop me human, I created Sealsdramon, you don't think I know how to destroy them?" He said.

Sealdramon rushed him, " _ **DEATH BEHIND!**_ " He cried, he got behind Datamon and tried to get him with his knife, but Datamon's armor simply deflected the blade, letting Datamon get Sealsdramon with a metallic bitch slap.

Sealsdramon skidded across the floor from the impact but managed to catch himself, Datamon turned around to face his opponent, "You really thought you could outmatch me? I'm not just any Ultimate level Digimon, I am **the** Ultimate Level Digimon, I can calculate your attacks before you even blink! You should have just let me reprogram you Sealsdramon, because by the end of this encounter, being a mindless drone will sound pleasant by compassion," Datamon said.

And there goes my confidence, despite me Digivolving him, Datamon was **still** too powerful! Datamon began to savagely beat Sealsdramon, tossing him around and slamming him into everything around them, it was as if I'd never Digivolved him at all! This was bad… really bad, out of the three tamers here, I was the **only** one who could Digivolve his partner, and it still wasn't enough! Dammit all! How the hell do I beat this guy?!

* * *

 **A/N: And another cliff hanger! Will Jason and Sealsdramon be able to overcome Datamon's power? Will Bridget and Okamon survive to redeem themselves? Stay tuned!**


	17. Reliability

**Chapter 17: Reliability**

* * *

It seemed digivolving did little to help Sealsdramon, Datamon just kept hitting him, beating him into paste with ruthless efficiency, every blow seemed calculated to hit just the right spot to do just enough damage. "You seriously thought you could beat me?" Datamon said, raining another blow upon the helpless cyborg Digimon, "I **created** your kind! I know every one of your weaknesses, every one of your attacks, you could digivolve to mega and it wouldn't make a difference! You and your friends will **die** here, and there is **nothing** that you can do about it," Datamon just kept hitting him over and over, cackling like a mad man as Sealsdramon just laid there, motionless, I would have thought he was dead had I not known Digimon break apart into data fragments when they died.

I felt so helpless, after all I went through to get him here and digivolve him, it still didn't make a difference! He was still going to lose and I couldn't do a thing to stop it! I felt myself falling to my knees, the gravity of the situation hitting me so hard I couldn't even bring myself to stand. It was over… I lost… all that was left was to watch helplessly as my friend was ruthlessly beaten to death by his own creator.

I couldn't even bring myself to watch, all the confidence and courage I had just vanishing as cold reality began to set in. Why didn't I even think about this? Of **course** he knew Sealsdramon inside and out, he **made** them! How could I have been so stupid? So arrogant? Now all I could do was await the inevitable…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

Me and Kate hung back in the infirmary, Jason's fight with Datamon was going horribly to say the least, things were looking bleak, "You sure you can't digivolve Psychemon?" I asked Kate, we needed another digivolution here, something to turn the tide.

Kate shook her head, "Sorry, and the other two who can are busy fighting off the factory's security force," She explained, well at least I knew Datamon wouldn't be getting backup, not that I thought he'd need it at this point but still.

I felt a pit in my stomach, the realization that our situation was basically hopeless didn't sit well with me, I never liked to lose, and it being to Datamon of all people didn't help matters. Perhaps this was penance for my crimes as the Digimon Queen? To die along with my former enemies to my most hated of former allies. "I… I give up..." I found myself saying out loud, despair began to swarm my mind again, a whirlwind of negativity raging like a tornado in my head.

Kate grabbed me by the shoulders, "We can't give up hope! There's always a chance, we just need to find it!" She said, she had a hint of anger in her voice, like I offended her or something.

I shook my head, "Don't you get it?! There's **nothing** we can do to stop Datamon! He's too strong, we can't digivolve either of our partners, and your other friends aren't coming any time soon! We're **done** , I don't want to try clinging to false hope," I said, I always hated people like Kate, hopeless optimists who thought there was always a light at the end of the tunnel, I had learned long ago that wasn't the case.

However Kate's response was to slap me right in the face, a hard, firm slap to my right cheek so fast I didn't even come close to seeing it coming, "ENOUGH!" She screamed at me, "I'm not going to sit here and watch you give up on everything because things look a bit bleak! For once can't you just have faith?" I could tell she wasn't going to let me give up, I'll admit I wasn't expecting her to **hit** me, but she just seemed so frustrated with me I guess it was inevitable wasn't it?

She looked me right in the eyes before shoving something into my hands, I looked to see it was my digivice, how she got this I had no clue, "Digidestined **never** give up! We find strength within ourselves, and we overcome adversity… I didn't come all this way just to die to some bucket of bolts! So stop it with the hopeless cynic act because it's getting old!" She said.

I was never one for optimism, I was always a bit of a cynic, ever since… that day… I'd always thought the worst of the world around me, "I… I can't! I'm not strong enough! I've never been strong enough! I'm too weak to stop Datamon! I'm too weak to do anything!" I broke down, my emotions had suddenly began to overwhelm me again, I never had it in me to hope, I simply buckled to my knees, weak and helpless.

"B… Bridget…"

My eyes shot open, I turned my head to a healing pod, inside was Okamon, how or why he was in there I had no clue but it seemed he had heard my breakdown, "You… are not… weak… Kate… is right… you can't give into… despair… you're… stronger than you realize..." He said, his voice weak and frail, "I've… always believed in you… why… can't you just believe in… yourself… for once?" he coughed, it was upsetting seeing him like this, the strong, and proud Okamon reduced to a coughing and beaten creature, barely able to talk.

And he was still more concerned about me than himself, using what little strength he had to try to help me find hope. He always looked after me, he defied the Digimon King himself just to rescue me, knowing full well he would not only betray him, but his faction the Nightmare Soldiers as well, all for me. I never knew how much I needed that… a friend to stand by me no matter what, I had spent my whole life trying shut other people out… refusing to get close to anyone… out of fear of being hurt again, when all I really needed was someone to stand with me… someone who was reliable… I could depend on when I needed it…

Suddenly Sealsdramon came crashing through the walls of the infirmary, hitting the floor with a loud metallic clang. Datamon approached us, "No more games Ms. Shuno… no more backup… no more chasing… no more digivolving… just you **dying** ," He growled.

I stood firm, I knew if I tried to run he'd catch me, and I wasn't going to risk Okamon either, I knew Datamon would kill him if only just to get to me. "What's this? No screaming? No begging for mercy? It's good to see you can at least accept your fate with dignity Bridget," Said Datamon, mistaking my silence for me giving up.

Maybe the thought crossed my mind, but… what Okamon said… I **did** need to start believing in myself, find my own inner strength, my own… Reliability…

I suddenly felt something, a warmth in my hand, I looked to see I was still holding my Digivice, it's screen was shining a bright with a symbol in the center of a cross like design, the light shot to the healing pod, the pod began to rumble and crack as it filled with a bright light.

" _ **Okamon digivolve too...**_ " Okamon cried from the light… I took a step back, I had somehow finally done it… I digivolved him! " _ **OKAMIMON!**_ " He bellowed, before the light burst and the new creature emerged from the now destroyed healing pod.

This new form was a giant quadruped wolf, he still had his black fur and yellow markings, but now gained a yellow X on his forehead, on his back was a flaming disk of some kind, the white "fur" on his paws danced and crackled like flames.

Datamon stood in disbelief, "NO! You… you can't! You're too **weak** to digivolve him! This isn't possible!" He cried, it was so satisfying to see him so afraid, he knew Sealsdramon inside and out, but wouldn't be so knowledgeable of Okamimon.

Okamimon leaped into the air, landing softly in front of me, "She's stronger than you think Datamon," He said with a cool confidence.

Datamon stood firm, "It doesn't matter! I'm still a level above you! I'm still too strong for you to take down Okamimon!" He said.

However, "Maybe, but how about **both** of us?" Sealsdramon stepped in, standing right next to Okamimon, he was still a bit hurt from his beating, but still looked like he could fight.

The two champions then rushed Datamon, tackling him into the other room, however Datamon threw them off, "Add however many you wish, it makes **no** difference! You… will… DIE!" He screamed before blasting a laser shot at Okamimon who effortlessly dodged it.

The flaming disc on Okamimon's back began to flare, " _ **FIRE DISC!**_ " He cried before the disc flew from his back, right at Datamon, it got him right in the face, knocking him over and leaving a nice big scorch mark on his chrome digiziod hide.

Datamon was back to his feet rather quickly, "HA! Is that the best you can do you overgrown mutt?" He taunted, before firing more lasers at the two Digimon, both managing to get out of the way in time.

Sealdramon turned to Okamimon, "His hide is too strong, we need to find a weak point," Said Sealsdramon, Okamimon nodded, before the two scattered to dodge another laser blast from Datamon.

I then noticed Jason was still in the same position he was before, and dangerously close to the fight. Without thinking, I quickly rushed over to him, grabbing him by the arm and forcing him out of the way before one of Datamon's stray laser blasts could vaporize him.

I dragged him into the infirmary with Kate and Psychemon, Jason seemed to snap out of what ever funk he had managed to get himself into, "Wha? What happened?" He asked, he noticed the fight rather quickly, "Y… you digivolved Okamon?" He said, I guess he hadn't noticed Okamon's digivolution while he was in whatever self induced trance he had found himself in.

I nodded, "But they seem to be struggling to get through that digizoid hide of his," I said, there had to be a way for them to break open that shell of his, otherwise he was just going to keep deflecting every attack they threw at him.

Jason thought for a moment, studying the fight to see if he could spot any weaknesses, "That armor is pretty resilient, but it can't be invincible, it had to be molded into the shape it's in after all," He theorized.

I then got an idea, "OKAMIMON! See if you can super heat his armor!" I told him, of course Datamon would be able to hear that, but even he wouldn't be able to predict my plan in time to counter it.

Okamimon nodded before leaping into the air, " _ **FLAMMING DRAGON!**_ " He cried, spinning in a wheel so fast it began to form fire around his body, the flames suddenly taking the form of a dragon and rushing towards Datamon, engulfing him in flames.

Datamon strained as the fire began to make his Digiziod armor glow a bright orange from the heat, "HA! You thought **that** would kill me? Go ahead and throw all the fire you want! It won't do a thing to me!" He boasted.

However, that wasn't the intent, his armor was slightly liquefied now, which meant…

" _ **DEATH BEHIND!**_ "

It seemed that Sealsdramon had caught on to my plan and took the opening, his knife pierced his back like it was butter, Datamon too shocked to even let out a pained scream, Sealsdramon ripped his knife out of his back, causing Datamon to fall over, revealing a rather large hole in his back with stray wires sparking and crackling with electricity.

Datamon struggled to get to his feet as his armor finally managed to re-harden, "Y… you clever little bitch!… I'm almost impressed! But it… still doesn't change a thing!… you will DIE!" He screamed before madly rushing the two Digimon.

Sealsdramon quickly leaped into the air, while Okamon threw his disc again.

" _ **DEATH BEHIND!**_ "

" _ **FIRE DISC!**_ "

The two attacks hit simultaneously, the damage Sealsdramon had done before, combined with the impact of Okamimon's disc, managed to tear Datamon in half. Sealsdramon landed on the opposite side from Okamimon as Datamon's destroyed body began to break apart.

We all rushed in to see the sight for ourselves, "This… isn't possible..." Datamon stammered as his body began to break apart pixel by pixel. "I've… calculated every… possible outcome five hundred and thirty six times and… came up with a counter for each one… how… how did you… beat me?" He asked.

I crossed my arms, "It's like Okamon said, you have the data, but not the instinct," I said, I was so glad to finally be rid of him, to finally beat him.

Datamon glared at me, "Don't… get over confident Shuno… you… may have beaten me… but… the others… will avenge me, and I will… have the last laugh…" he said before having one last laugh as his body faded into nothingness.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, I turned to see it was Kate, "See? You never give up, because there's always a chance," She said, I guess in a way she was right, I never factored in actually being able to digivolve Okamon, but still, I was just glad it was over now.

Okamimon approached me, "Come on, I think we've all had our fill of this place," He said, I couldn't disagree, if I ever saw another factory, it'd be too soon…

However, there was still one thing I wanted to do first, "Say, where did you find my Digivice anyway?" I asked, the two looked at me before saying they found it in his

office…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

For some reason, Bridget wanted to find her Digimon Queen outfit, I thought after all that happened she'd never want to see the damn thing again, but apparently not. We all entered Datamon's office, surely enough she spotted her old robe and goggles, but strangely she only took the goggles.

She then approached me, "I know this might sound a bit… weird, but… since you seem to be the leader of this little group of yours… I think you need a little something to… show you're the, well leader," She said. "Consider it a thanks for helping me with Datamon," She added.

She then placed the goggles on my head, the elastic band snapping against the back of my skull with a loud snap. "Uh… thanks?" I said, it was a strange gesture to say the least, but then again, something about it felt… right… I couldn't quite place it though, besides, they might come in handy in case I need them, you never know **what** you'll find in this world.

Bridget then began to remove her jumpsuit, thankfully she was wearing clothes underneath, a red top with a star design on the side, black capri pants with black and red sneakers. I also just noticed she was wearing a black choker with a red gem pendant hanging from it. "Sorry, but I couldn't stand wearing that thing any longer," She explained.

We all left the office after that, thankfully, Okamimon knew the layout of the building better than any of us did, so we wouldn't end up getting lost again. We quickly found that Ethan and Ross were sitting in the room with their respective digimon waiting for us.

We then noticed something a bit… odd, the Commandramon were just sort of… frozen in place… standing straight and still like stone. "Your guess is as good as mine," Said Ross, "All of a sudden they just stopped attacking us," Ross's explanation didn't help much, I had no clue what this was about.

However, it seemed that Bridget had a theory, "It must be because Datamon is dead, he probably had some master program going, controlling the Commandramon, and when he died, they just sort of… deactivated," She theorized. It was about as good an explanation as any.

Ethan simply shook his head, "Let's just get out of here man, this place is giving me the creeps," He said, we all agreed and left the factory.

When we got outside we saw that some of the imprisoned Digimon had managed to somehow get out, they were all gathered in clusters, debating how to get back to their respective homes.

I noticed that Bridget was focusing on them a **lot** more than anyone else, I approached her, "You okay?" I asked her.

She seemed slightly startled but managed to quickly return to her usual calm demeanor, "I'm just… trying to process everything that happened back there is all," She said, this was the first time we really had time to digest everything since we didn't have Datamon trying to kill us anymore, so it made sense that Bridget was choosing now to be reflective. "Do I really deserve this? How many of these Digimon are here because **I** captured them?" She asked.

I shook my head, "That's in the past now, you're a part of the team now Bridget, together, we're going to stop the Digimon King, and undo everything you did," I said, trying to reassure her, I could tell she wasn't a bad person, she'd just been mislead by the Digimon King, and I knew in time, she'd realize that too…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I sat in my throne, I had left Datamon's factory long before the fight had began, I didn't want to be there any longer than I had too, I had some reservations about betraying Bridget like I did, but she hadn't proved as useful as I had originally thought, and became a liability more than an asset.

Suddenly a figure came into my throne, bowing to one knee, "My lord, I'm afraid we've… lost Datamon and the Metal Empire," He explained.

I should have known that Datamon wouldn't be able to handle them, but to be fair, I knew he was planning on betraying me, so really all they did was save me the trouble of killing him myself. But the loss of the Metal Empire was a problem, all I had now where the Nightmare Soldiers.

I stood from my throne, "It seems the Digidestined have shown to be much more of a threat than I originally thought," I said, "Alert the generals, it's time we dealt with these children… directly," I said, the figure nodded and left to do just that.

I sat back down in my throne, I had worked far too hard to keep this world under control, and I wasn't about to lose it to some kids and their pet Digimon. I was **done** playing games with them… it was time to end this before they undid everything, and I lose everything in **this** world as well…

* * *

 **A/N- And thus, finally, the Datamon arch ends!**

 **I am so sorry this chapter took as long as it did to get posted, but I sorta got wrapped up in the holiday season, and all the stress it entails, but now that my Christmas Shopping is finally done and I finally have time to relax, I was able to get this chapter done.**

 **I don't know if I'm going to post again before the holiday season ends, but don't rule it out either.**


	18. The Dragon King

**Chapter 18: The Dragon King**

* * *

It never once stopped being weird having Bridget in our group, a girl who not that long ago wanted our heads on a pike, was now a member of the team, I'm sure it was weird for everyone else too, especially Ross, who didn't seem to trust her as far as he could throw her, and sadly he wasn't the only one.

Commandramon seemed to still hold a bit of a grudge against her, even after all that happened at the factory he was still unwilling to trust her, making it a point to stay between me and her as often as he could. I had a feeling it'd be a while before everyone was willing to trust the former Digimon Queen, but I hoped, with time, that everyone would warm up to her.

But now we had a new problem, "Were the hell do we go next?" asked Ethan out loud, it was a fair point, the king's castle was clearly not in the Metal Empire, logic dictated then that we should head to the only other known King occupied area… the Nightmare Soldiers zone.

I took out the map, it seemed there was quite a bit of land between the two zones, because of course there was, "Well, I think we should start headed for the Nightmare Soldier's territory," I said, it seemed like the next obvious course of action, his castle **had** to be there, it was our only real lead.

However, someone surprisingly objected to this plan, "NO! We can't go there!" Psychemon blurted from the back, I turned towards the magenta lizard, he was clearly frightened, more so than usual I should say. "His castle has to be somewhere else! I can't go back there! I just can't!" Psychemon said, covering his face with his arms like a frightened child.

Bridget decided to step in, "Rex's castle is on the outskirts of the Nightmare Soldiers territory, we **have** to go through it to get to the castle," Bridget pointed out, well that settled that then, I sorta forgot we had someone who'd know where his hideout was among the group.

However, Psychemon clearly wasn't having it, "You don't understand! I **can't** go back there! I won't!" He yelled, it was clear from his body language he was having a nervous breakdown, I couldn't even **begin** to theorize what his issue could have been, but whatever it was, it was going to be an issue. We **had** to go to the Nightmare Soldiers territory, if not to reach the king's castle, then to at least free the Nightmare Soldiers from his rule like we had done with the Metal Empire.

Bridget was starting to lose patience, "If you want to stop Rex, you have to eliminate his territories, which means we have to go to the Nightmare Soldiers, whatever trauma you might have with the place, you're just going to have to set it aside!" She said rather sternly, she wasn't wrong, but did she really need to be so… ya know… blunt about it?

Kate seemed to take exception to this, "Psychemon has a hard time overcoming his fears Bridget! And yelling at him certainly isn't going to help!" Kate snapped back, oh no… this was going south **very** quickly, the last thing we needed right now was even **more** infighting among the group!

Ethan seemed to share my sentiment as he rushed to put himself between the two girls, "Come on guys we don't need to start fighting right now! Let's just start headed for the Nightmare Soldiers and sort Psychemon's issues out along the way, we're all friends here," he said.

Bridget went to say something, but whatever it may have been she had decided wasn't worth bringing up as she just turned away and began to walk. We all followed suit, headed for the Nightmare Soldiers territory, all the while I couldn't help but keep looking back at Psychemon, he was still clearly unsettled, I kinda wish I knew what his problem was, from what I could guess, it seemed like something had happened to him there that traumatized him, but I had no idea what it could have been.

I felt something hit my leg, I turned to see Commandramon staring up at me, "Permission to speak sir?" He asked me, I couldn't help but roll my eyes, after all this time he **still** acted like I was his Drill Sargent.

"What's on your mind?" I asked him, sometimes I wished Commandramon knew how to be more casual with everyone, I guess he was just hardwired to be a walking military stereotype.

Commandramon looked back at Psychemon before looking back at me, "I'm worried about Psychemon, I'm afraid he might do something when we reach the Nightmare Soldiers territory, I don't want to have to fight him if I don't have to," He explained.

I felt a chill run down my spine at the thought of Psychemon having a nervous breakdown and attacking us, I wanted to say he wouldn't do that but… fear can make people do a lot of things they normally wouldn't, and I would rather **not** have to fight one of our own if I could avoid it.

I let out a small sigh, "Hopefully it won't come to that, I'm sure Kate can keep him calm enough so that won't be an issue," I said, more trying to reassure myself more than Commandramon. I hoped Kate could keep him under control, she seemed to know how to work with him better than the rest of us, and he trusted her, hopefully that would be enough to keep him in check.

I looked at the map again, it seemed that there was a territory in between the Nightmare Soldiers and Metal Empire, a faction called "Dragon's Roar", gee… I wonder what kind of Digimon **they** were… maybe going through a friendly faction would do Psychemon some good, to be in a place where we **weren't** constantly dodging death at every corner? Not to mention after all the chaos we'd been through lately I think we **all** could use a break.

One could point out the irony of finding safety and calmness in **dragons** of all things but hey, I'd welcome the change of pace. "We should maybe look into resting up in the Dragon's Roar territory, I think being in an allied territory for a bit would be good for us," I said, I doubted I'd get much objection from the group, we were all a little worn out from out fun times in the Metal Empire.

I heard a small chuckle from Ross, "Finding sanctuary among fire breathing lizards? This world **is** ridiculous," He pointed out, well it was nice to know I wasn't the only one who found the irony hilarious.

So our plan was set, we'd head into Dragon's Roar, find a place to crash, recharge, and set out for the king's castle later on. It was nice to finally have a solid plan in place instead of blindly blundering through the Digital World like we'd **been** doing since we'd gotten here. A nice little feeling of certainty to contrast will all the uncertainty we'd been faced with recently.

It wasn't long before the dead desert of the Metal Empire gave way to a lush green forest, you wouldn't think you'd miss grass and trees, but after spending so long in what amounted to a desert for as long as we'd been, it was a breath of fresh air, both figuratively, and literally.

But the forest didn't last long, as it soon was overtaken by a great city that looked like it was ripped right from Lord of the Rings, with huge towers and stone walkways, I could see several Dragon Digimon either walking through the streets, or flying overhead. It was an impressive sight to say the least, and for being right next to the Digimon King's territory, it seemed to be in pretty good shape.

I happened to notice one of them was rushing towards us, naturally Commandramon took this as a threat and readied his gun, causing the dragon Digimon approaching us to skid itself to a halt, the dragon Digimon itself seemed to resemble a stereotypical dragon, with teal scales and white underbelly and jaw, teal spikes jutted out the back of it's cheeks, he had two red stick like horns sticking out the back of his head, two small red wings on it's back, his eyes were also red, but large and non threatening.

The dragon Digimon nervously blinked as he stood right in front of the barrel of Commandramon's rifle. "Um… I… I mean no harm… c… could one of you please tell him to put the gun down?" He stammered. I put my hand on the barrel of Commandramon's gun, gently pushing it downward in a gesture to tell Commandramon it was okay to lower his weapon, and he did so. The dragon seemed relieved by this, "Thank you, welcome to the Dragon's Roar territories! I am Dracomon, one of lord Examon's loyal servants," He said with a bow.

I wanted to feel relieved, but ever since the Rosemon and Monzeamon incidents, I'd been kinda programmed to be weary of seemingly warm welcomes. Dracomon continued, "Lord Examon has been expecting your arrival, and wishes to have an audience with you at once," He said, and that certainly didn't help my paranoia, he somehow **knew** we were coming. I tried my best to shake my apprehension, being paranoid would do little to help anyone here, and I wanted to give these people the benefit of the doubt.

Dracomon lead us to the center of the city, a large castle lay before us, with statues of dragons on both sides, almost as if they were guarding it from intruders. Dracomon lead us down the halls until we found ourselves in the throne room.

There on the throne sat what I assumed to be Examon, he was a large red humanoid dragon, he looked like he had been ripped right out of a D&D monster manual, well, apart from the comically large laser gun like appendage attached to his left arm, his horns were long and white with golden tips, his wings were huge and white with red wing membranes, his underbelly was also white, but his chest appeared to have two red eye like designs on it. His shoulders were covered in white spikes, and he gazed at us with two piercing emerald eyes.

The mighty dragon stared at us for what felt like an eternity, before he finally decided to speak, "Ah… Digidestined, welcome to my kingdom, I heard word that you have reclaimed the Metal Empire," He said, how the hell did he know about that? It hadn't been more than a few hours since we took down Datamon, I guess word travels fast in the Digital World. "To what do we owe the pleasure of having you in our kingdom this day?" He added.

Examon seemed oddly friendly despite his rather intimidating appearance, talking to us like we were old friends or something, "Mr. Examon… sir," I began kinda nervously, afraid one wrong word would set him off and make our trip here into hell on earth, "W… we're kinda on our way to… confront the king in the Nightmare Soldiers territories… and well… we were… kinda hoping to… rest a little…" I said, I had always been nervous around people, him being a giant doom dragon certainly didn't make speaking to him any easier.

However, Examon cut me off, "There is no need to be nervous around me human, we would be honored to aid you in any way we can," He said, "Dracomon! Show our esteemed guests to their chambers," added the dragon lord. Dracomon bowed to his king before leading us into the guest chambers.

The little teal dragon opened the large doors to reveal a rather lavish looking room, with beds for each of us laid next to each other, the room itself had an obvious dragon motif, with the beds having dragon wing like bed frames. "Enjoy your stay," Dracomon said before shutting the door behind us.

Ethan wasted no time in flopping onto one of the beds, "Awesome! Not **this** is how you treat the Digidestined!" He said with a laugh, the fact he wasn't at all worried about Examon's intentions was a touch concerning, I mean, this was making me have Rosemon flashbacks, maybe I was just being paranoid? But something in my gut told me something was up.

Kate sat down on the bed "Hopefully this time we'll actually get to rest without an issue," She said, well at least I wasn't the only one who thought this situation was, uncomfortably familiar.

Ross shook his head, "Please, don't even jinx it man, I'd like to go one minute without fearing for my life," He said, laying on one of the beds with his hands behind his head.

Bridget leaned against one of the far walls, "How many times have you been attacked by Digimon offering room and board?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

It was kind of embarrassing to admit, but, "Three times," I admitted, you know that saying? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me? What happens when we get fooled three times? Whatever…

All we could really do was hope Examon didn't try to pull the same ploy…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

After so long, I liked to think I had grown beyond my former faction, ever since taking the mantel of Royal Knight, things like faction loyalty kind of took backseat, but here I was, the great knight Gallentmon, returning to his former stomping grounds once more.

The Dragon's Roar kingdom was in quite the precarious position, sitting in between two Digimon King controlled territories, well, one since the Digidestined apparently managed to take the Metal Empire back. Regardless, this only served to endanger the Dragon's Roar territory even more, since the King would wish to take another territory to compensate for the loss of the Metal Empire.

That is what brought me here today, I needed to make sure the territory was safe, the last thing we needed is for the Dragon Empire to fall to the King, I entered the halls of Lord Examon, the great Dragon King. The Dracomon tried to stop me, but were of course unable to impede my progress, it wasn't that I was an enemy, they just had a certain way of doing things, but I had no time for formalities.

Examon lifted his head, looking right at me, "Ah… if it isn't the valiant Gallentmon, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked me, Examon had never approved of my defection to the Royal Knights, he demanded loyalty to the Dragon Empire above all else, but he knew he was powerless to change my mind.

I had no desire to linger here, so I cut right to the point, "I wish only to check on the kingdom Examon, after the Digidestined befell the Metal Empire, the king will no doubt target your kingdom to make up for the one he just lost," I explained.

Examon let a small growl escape his lips, "I do not need a babysitter Gallentmon! Especially not one who serves a dead king!" He roared, but he quickly composed himself, "I know full well the Metal Empire had fallen, the Digidestined currently rest in my chambers," He explained.

They were here? It was logical, they must have come here to rest, this being the only friendly territory on the way to the Nightmare Soldiers, however it seemed odd that Examon would welcome them, given how he felt about outsiders in his kingdom.

I would need to speak with them at once, the knights would need to know their progress, "I wish to speak with them, if I may," I said, it mattered not what he answered, I would speak with them regardless, but I preferred to be courteous.

Examon snorted, "You may not, they are weary from travel and I'd rather you not bother them!" He said, I should have expected that, Examon was anything if not stubborn. "Now if it's all the same to you Gallentmon, I'd like it if you left my castle, the last thing I want is to be pestered by one of Yggdrasil's former lap dogs!" He spat.

The Dracomon then began to escort me out of the castle, this was odd, Examon had never liked the Royal Knights, so him refusing to let me linger was unsurprising, but he seemed so… forceful about it, like he was desperate to get me away from the Digidestined as soon as he could, something wasn't right here, and I intended to get to the bottom of it…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

I didn't like sitting around too long given what's happened each time we found ourselves staying with a seemingly hospitable Digimon, so I found myself patrolling the halls, I almost lost Jason at the factory, I wasn't going to risk losing him again, if there was anything suspicious about this place, I'd find it.

Truth be told, I'd never really seen much of the Digital World, being a glorified guard since my creation had limited my travel to the outskirts of the slave camp, so I didn't know much about the world outside it, so the kingdom was an interesting sight for me, but it also meant I didn't know much about it, outside what my internal computer did, which wasn't much since I was never really meant to travel here.

However, I was stopped in my tracks by a large shadow looming over me, "Enjoying the sights Commandramon?" Examon's voice said from behind me, I turned to find myself face to face with the dragon king. "Try not to look so startled, I merely wish to speak with you," He said, I didn't really find that as reassuring as he seemed to think it was.

I knew very little about Examon, at least not enough to trust him, "Sorry, it's just, given our history with Digimon offering us a place to stay, I can't help but… be a bit on edge," I explained. In my position, I needed to be paranoid, I had the lives of the entire group to consider after all.

Examon seemed to glare at me for a split second, but quickly regained his calm expression, "Well, I assure you that you and your friends have nothing to fear here Commandramon, my kingdom **is** one of the places you wish to protect, is it not?" He said.

I gave him an unsure nod, we were looking to protect the Digital World, not any specific part of it, but I feared that saying this would upset the dragon king, and thus make things much worse for us. Examon let out a small chuckle, "I understand your trepidation Commandramon, I'm not exactly known for being welcoming to non-dragon Digimon, but I assure you, I take your mission very seriously. That infernal Digimon King has been a thorn in my side since he came here, what right does **he** have to claim dominion over the Digital World? He who isn't even a Digimon himself!" He said.

It seemed Examon's reasons for helping us weren't entirely unselfish, he seemed to be insulted by the King's attempts to take over the Digital World. Whether or not this was a good thing for us I didn't know, but I would like to avoid picking a fight with him if I could.

I went to leave but, "Oh… Commandramon, before you go, I have a question," He said, I stopped and turned to him, "What is your opinion on… humans?" He asked me.

What an odd question, "Hard to say, but from my experience, they aren't too different from us, some are good, some are bad, why do you ask?" I answered.

Examon gave me a blank stare, it was hard to tell if he was satisfied with the answer or not, "Thank you Commandramon, you may go," He said, ignoring the question I had posed to him completely, Examon left before I could push the subject any further.

Something about the way he asked that question still bothered me though, it seemed like he was making sure of something, what it was I couldn't even begin to guess, but all I hoped was that it wouldn't put Jason and his friends in peril.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I didn't really like this place very much, the dark castle halls reminded me so much of Myotismon's castle back at the Nightmare Soldiers territory, I debated with myself whether or not I wanted to tell the others why I couldn't go back there, but I was afraid if they knew what I was, what I'd **done…** No… no couldn't think about that… too painful…

I managed to find myself in the throne room again, I never really stopped to consider how beautiful Examon's throne was, it was made of red velvet and gold, with ornate dragon like designs wrapping around it, it's design reminded me of Rosemon's hotel, I remembered I always found it's contrast to the Nightmare Soldiers territories comforting, a distraction from what happened in my past…

However… "Enjoying the view Psychemon?" I turned to see Examon had found me, my anxiety began to overtake me again, this was the kind of thing Rosemon used to get very mad at me over, so I, out of pure instinct, began to cower back in fear, causing Examon to let out a small laugh, "Relax Psychemon, you have nothing to fear of me," He said.

Examon took a seat in his throne, "It must be uncomfortable to you, returning to the very territories you left behind so long ago," He said, how… how did he know that? "I see you're surprised I know about that, I am a King Psychemon, I know much more than you'd think I would. Like what you are… and what you **did** ," He said.

I felt my heart hit the floor, he **knew** , I had hoped my past wouldn't hurt the team in any way, but if he knew, he might… oh god… Examon let out a laugh, "Relax, the past is the past, it is who we become in the future that is important," He said, I felt my anxiety ease up a bit, at least I knew he wouldn't throw us out. "Honestly, the Nightmare Soldiers were bound to fall eventually, they'd always been their own worst enemies, but you'd know that better than most, wouldn't you?" He said.

All I could do was avert my eyes, trying to stop the flashbacks from coming in, Examon leaned back in his throne, "Tell me something Psychemon," He began, "What do you think about humans?" He asked.

I was caught completely off guard by the question, it was an odd one to ask of a Digimon who had a human partner, "I… I dunno… Kate's so nice to me, I trust her with my life," I answered, I didn't know what Examon was asking this for, I just hoped it wasn't something that was going to end up hurting the group.

Examon glared at me, "I see, that is all Psychemon, you may return to your chambers," He said, waving it off rather hastily, but I thought it wise not to pressure the dragon king, so I left for the room everyone was staying in.

* * *

I watched Psychemon leave the room as I'd instructed him, two answers to my question and both seemed unsure, you'd think that Digimon who'd spent so much of their time around humans would have more solid opinions on them, but still… it wouldn't change much… I was still going through with my plans regardless…

This war was too important, and I'd die before I saw my kingdom fall to that infernal Digimon King, I just hoped when the time came, these Digimon would see things from my perspective…

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that isn't ominous at all, what is Examon planning? What _did_ happen in Psychemon's past to make him fear his own faction? Well, you'll just have to wait and see now won't you?**

 **I know I said I was going to wait until after the holiday season to post another chapter, but I've been playing Digimon Cyber Sleuth lately, (got it as a Christmas gift) and as a result I kinda got on a Digimon kick and wanted to write some more of this story.**

 **Happy New Year btw, see you all in 2018!**

 **Oh god… it's going to be 2018… 2008 is going to be a decade ago… I'm getting old… *dies inside***


	19. The Real Monsters

**Chapter 19: The Real Monsters**

* * *

Day had soon given way to night, the humans fell asleep rather quickly, all the excitement from yesterday having sapped every bit of their energy it seemed, but we Digimon had managed to stay awake, and had a bit of a meeting of our own.

Psychemon and I had begun to tell the others of our encounters with Examon, it turned out the others had similar discussions, the oddest part was he had asked each and every one of us about our opinions on humans, "It seems like such a strange thing to focus on, I mean, what answer did he expect from us?" I pointed out.

Hawkmon thought it over for a moment, "Perhaps he just wants to gain our insight, humans have never been to the Digital World before now after all, so he might just be curious," He theorized, it was a fair enough explanation, but something in my gut told me there was more to it than that.

It seemed I wasn't the only one who thought so, "I think it's more likely he's trying to find out where we stand on humans," Okamon said, causing everyone to turn in his direction, "Let's not forget, the Digimon King was human too, it's very possible he might still hold a grudge," He added.

That changed the tempo of the conversation very quickly, if Examon turned on us, we might not be able to fight him off, he **was** a Mega Level after all, and the highest any of us could go was Champion. It was hard not to worry about that, especially after what happened with Datamon, I almost lost Jason back there, and I didn't want to go through that again.

Gaomon shook his head, "We shouldn't assume the worst Okamon, I think Hawkmon's theory is more likely," He said, although the tone of his voice suggested he was more trying to convince himself than us, Gaomon himself had almost lost Ethan at Buraimon's village, so I doubted Gaomon wanted to consider the idea of Examon turning on us any more than I did.

We suddenly stopped when we heard the sounds of bare feet walking across stone, it was a Dracomon holding a torch in his hand, "Shouldn't you guys be in bed?" He asked, more confused than angry given his tone, we all sat there in silence for a while, not sure **what** to tell the dragon Digimon.

But Okamon decided to be the one to break the silence, "We're standing guard, no offense but the safety of our partners is not something we like to risk," He explained, he wasn't wrong, but I doubted that would sit well with him since we basically just told him we didn't trust his king.

But the Dracomon seemed to take it well, "I understand, but the king has an issue with people roaming the halls at night, it makes him… uneasy," Dracomon explained, funny, he never mentioned this to **us**.

But it was best not to tempt fate, we all agreed to head back into the chambers, but Dracomon stopped us, "Actually, lord Examon told me he wanted you to be in the opposite chambers," He said, okay **that** was suspicious! Examon wanted us separated from our partners for some reason.

I turned around and glared at Dracomon, causing him to tense up a bit, "And why is that exactly? You trying to separate us from our partners?" I asked rather harshly, the others seemed to feel the same way as they all surrounded him.

However, "Actually, it's more that Lord Examon wants everyone to be well rested when they leave tomorrow, and well, it's easier to get a good night's rest in a soft bed than the hard stone floor," He said.

He wasn't wrong, but I was perfectly fine sleeping on the floor, I didn't need to be pampered! "Besides, you won't be far from your friends, they'll be on the opposite side of the wall, so if anything happens, you won't be far," Dracomon added, clearly frightened that we would attack him.

I felt Gaomon put a gloved hand on my shoulder, "He has a point Commandramon, besides, he's right, we won't be far," He said, I **really** didn't like this, but I wasn't exactly willing to defy the dragon king either, it was better for everyone's safety that we stayed on his good side.

And with that, we all headed into our chambers, the room itself was exactly the same as the ones our human friends occupied, same design and similar beds, we each took one, "I still don't like this, it seems like a long way to go just to get us a good night's rest," I pointed out.

Hawkmon however, shot me his usual warm smile, "You worry too much Commandramon, our friends aren't that far, I'm sure if something happens, we'll know about it," He said, trying to reassure me, I didn't buy it, something fishy was going on here.

But the discussion was tabled in favor of resting our tired bodies, it wasn't long before we found ourselves falling to sleep one by one, between all the fighting we'd been doing that day and the softness of the beds we laid in, staying awake had quickly become a losing battle.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

I sat alone in my throne room, the castle was lit only by the torches that hung on the walls, giving off their subtle warmth and small light. I soon saw one of my Dracomon approach me, "Is it done? Are they asleep?" I asked him.

He nodded, "They're in separate chambers from their humans, just as you've requested Lord Examon," He said, I couldn't help but let a smile grow across my face, everything was going according to plan, I had reservations about what I was about to do to them, but I knew once I explained everything they'd understand.

"Then you know what to do," I told Dracomon, he bowed before running off to carry out the next part of my plan…

* * *

 _ **Later that Night…**_

* * *

"Commandramon! Hey! HEY!"

I grumbled, I wasn't done recharging yet, but whoever was speaking was desperately trying to wake me up. My internal clock told me it was three in the morning, not exactly a good time to wake up, but the shaking persisted. "Commandramon! It's important!" The voice was clearly Psychemon's, it never took much to panic him did it?

I'd best humor him by at least **asking** him what his problem was, I opened my eyes and turned in his direction, "What is it Psychemon?" I asked him, my body wasn't fully awake yet, as my eyes still felt a bit heavy, if it wasn't for my cybernetics I probably wouldn't have been nearly as aware as I was right now.

Psychemon looked behind him, as if checking to see if we were being listened in on before explaining himself, "They're gone! All of them!" He said.

My eyes shot open wide, "Gone? What do you mean gone?!" I asked, I felt that same panic I felt back at the factory begin to wash over me again, I was hoping against all hope I was misinterpreting what he was saying, that Jason and his friends were fine.

But… "I went to check on Kate and… when I got into their room, it was empty! No one was there! Someone took them, I know it!" Psychemon said, going into a panic, and I wasn't too far behind to be honest, it was as I feared, someone had captured our human friends right under our noses!

I quickly got out of my bed, "I **knew** we shouldn't have trusted that Dracomon!" I said, grabbing my gun, "I was right, there's something going on here, and we're going to find out what it is and get our friends back!" I said.

Me and Psychemon got everyone else up and out of bed, explaining to each of them what had happened, they each took it differently.

Hawkmon was in denial, claiming they might have just left to get a midnight snack or something.

Gaomon was furious, demanding we go and quote; "Beat that overgrown iguana into a fine paste".

And Okamon seemed bothered but kept his composure, claiming we needed to play this smart if we didn't want to risk their lives.

I was in agreement with Okamon, I was of course frightened for Jason's safety, but Okamon was right that we needed to keep our heads if we were going to find them.

However, Gaomon of course, didn't like this plan, "I'm not going to sit here while Ethan is in danger, or worse possibly **dying**! We need to find them **now**!" He barked, Gaomon was always high strung, especially when Ethan was in danger, so this outburst was expected, but we needed to get him to play along or we'd risk losing all of them! If even one died here I'd never forgive myself.

I put a hand on Gaomon's shoulder, "We're going to rescue them Gaomon, we just need to make sure we play this the right way, Examon is a powerful Digimon, if we screw this up we won't be able to save any of them," I said, trying to get him to see things our way.

Gaomon went to argue, but whatever argument he had got lost in his throat as he relented and agreed to go along with our strategy.

We all left our chambers after that, I knew exactly what we were doing, we were going to find a Dracomon, and press him for info, Dracomon would be a **much** easier Digimon to interrogate than Examon, being the same level as us and all.

It didn't take long for us to find one, standing guard in front of a door, Okamon wasted no time, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him to the wall, "Where are they? Don't try to act coy or anything we know it was one of you!" He snarled at the helpless dragon Digimon.

The Dracomon squirmed around, desperately trying to free itself to no avail, "Th… the trophy room!… gak! They're in the trophy room! At the far east end on the castle!" He strained, Okamon violently tossed him into a nearby pillar, knocking him out cold.

We all rushed to the trophy room, with any luck, they'd all still be alive! Okamon ripped the door open and we all rushed inside to quite a shocking sight.

The room was filled with Digimon frozen in stone, all of which looked terrified beyond belief, "Wh… what is this?!" I stammered, why would he have all these?

"We have bigger problems, look," Okamon said, I detected a hint of worry in his voice, we all rushed to his location to find… oh no…

There, in glass chambers, laid each of our partners, slowly being turned to stone as they lay unconscious. No… NO! I won't allow this to happen! Not to **him**! I began to slam the butt of my rifle against the glass of Jason's chamber, desperate to get him free, but the glass refused to budge, no matter how hard I swung. "Commandramon! COMMANDRAMON! Stop it!" I heard Hawkmon say before he grabbed me from behind, dragging me away from Jason, "There's no point! It's not going to give, and even if it did..." He said, clearly fighting back tears.

I managed to wrench myself free of Hawkmon's grip, "Why?! Why is he doing this?! Why does everyone we encounter try to kill us?!" I screamed, slamming my fist onto the stone floor.

"Like they could save us..."

We all turned to see Examon himself approach us, "Rex Nexion has tormented the Digital World for years, defeating my mightiest champions, what hopes do these hapless humans have against him?" He explained.

It took all my self control to keep from attacking him outright, I knew that I wouldn't be able to fight him, he was a Mega, and I was a Rookie, that's what it boiled down to, "I think it's time I explained myself, you all seem quite angry and I don't necessarily blame you, but I'm sure after I explain you'll see things my way," He said, there was no way I'd ever accept Jason being a statue no matter **how** Examon spun it!

Examon cleared his throat, "As you can see, I'm a bit of a… collector, I collect curious creatures, some are legendary warriors I've defeated in battle, others are curious oddities," He began, "However, I have yet to procure a **human** for my collection, I had originally intended to wait until I was able to deal with the Digimon King and display **him** in my collection, but when **you** all showed up, I had a realization," He continued, approaching our captive friends, "Humans are dangerous creatures, they may not be strong, but they can still reek destruction wherever they go, be it in our world or their own, seeing them having power over you Digimon angered me so, Digimon who possessed more power in their finger than they had in their entire bodies! **That** kind of power cannot be entrusted to **humans**!" He said.

I wanted to kill him! Tear his horns from his head and jam them into his lying throat! But I did my best to control myself, I was no help to Jason or his friends if I were dead, so I had to let Examon try to explain himself, "Don't you see? Humans are the cause of **all** of this destruction! Everything was **fine** in the Digital World before the first human stepped foot on our soil! They can't save us! We have to save ourselves! I'm doing you all a **favor** by killing them! Look at you! So hopelessly wrapped around these humans fingers you can't see the forest from the trees!" He explained.

Okamon stepped forward, "You're mad! You're going to doom us all just so you can complete your little collection!" He accused the Dragon Lord.

Examon seemed to take exception to this accusation, roaring defiantly, a mighty roar that sent all of us flying, "You **still** don't understand! I can destroy Rex Nexion! I am among the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World! You expect me to entrust **my** kingdom's safety to the very creatures that doomed it in the first place?! To allow this insult of humans commanding Digimon to continue?! You are but slaves, lashing out against the one who wishes to free you! How can you allow yourselves to be enslaved by these weak, pathetic creatures?" He said.

We all groaned as we tried to get to our feet, "You don't think Rex fears me?! There's a reason why he hasn't tried to take the Dragon's Roar kingdom yet! It's because he **fears** me! He **knows** I can destroy him in the blink of an eye! Just as I can to **you** if you continue to serve these vile creatures!" Snarled Examon, "I am the king! I WILL DEFEND MY KINGDOM! ME AND ME ALONE!" He roared.

The room began to rattle and shake as Examon roared in anger, he was losing it! Hawkmon turned to me, "What do we do? We can't take him in a straight up fight! Even **with** our partners we can only reach Champion!" He said, I had no answer, by all counts this was a no-win scenario, I can't believe this is how it ends, at the wrath of an egotistical dragon! His ego was going to cost us the war!

But even that didn't hurt as much as the knowledge I couldn't save Jason! If only I hadn't gone along with the Dracomon's request to sleep in a different room! I could have prevented all of this!

I got back to my feet, I wasn't about to sit here and let him turn my friend into a statue! "I won't let you! You have no right!" I snarled as I took shots at the dragon king, the bullets bounced harmlessly off his crimson scales.

He quickly grabbed me by the throat so fast I couldn't even attempt to get away, "Who are **you** to tell me what I have the right to do?! Humans are the enemies of Digimon! The king had made that abundantly clear! But if you wish to die in your delusions than I will gladly oblige!" He roared before throwing me hard across the room, sending me crashing into a frozen Tyrannomon, I tumbled and fell to the hard ground with a loud thud, this wasn't right! They were just trying to help us! How could Examon do this to them?

I struggled to get up, I could still see Jason from where I was, still helpless inside the chamber, slowly being turned to stone by that horrible machine, but what could **I** do? I was just a rookie! Examon was a mega! I couldn't even hope to scratch him, and he was clearly beyond reason.

Examon let out another loud roar, "You fools are clearly beyond reason! Beguiled by these humans empty words and fake smiles! Willing to doom your own kind out of some blind devotion to these pathetic creatures!" Examon bellowed, "I originally planned on letting you all live, but it seems you're too far gone, and must be put out of your misery," He exclaimed.

This was bad! We couldn't take him in a straight fight! He was far too powerful, and running away was **not** an option, I guess the only option we had was to go down swinging, or hope for a miracle.

I rushed towards the others, we stood a better chance together than separated, but when I got there, Psychemon was holding his head and screaming, everyone gathered around him in both confusion and horror, "Why is he doing this?! WHY WON'T HE STOP?!" Psychemon growled, however a single blast took our attention away from Psychemon as we were all knocked back by the force.

Examon approached Psychemon, "What's this?" He mused as he approached the strained Digimon, "What's the matter Psychemon? Am I upsetting you? Causing you to lose the fight with the demon that dwells within you?" He added, what was he talking about? Psychemon said nothing, just holding his head and screaming, "You know there's a reason **you're** the only one of the group that hasn't Digivolved, you don't **want** to Digivolve! Because you know what **he'll** do to your little friends! Just like what **he** did to the Nightmare Soldiers! But I assure you, even **his** power is not enough to stop **me**!" Taunted Examon.

I couldn't even begin to try to understand what he was talking about, but whatever it was, it was getting to Psychemon, I had to do something before this got worse, I rushed over to Psychemon, "Psychemon! Snap out of it! Come on!" I pleaded with him.

Psychemon's eyes shot open, but instead of their usual purple, they were a bright, glowing red, "Get away from me! GET AWAY!" He screamed before violently pushing me away, I hit one of the pods hard as a black aura began to cover Psychemon, "No! I won't… let you… not again! NEVER AGAIN!" He screamed, what was I going to do? Something was happening! And if this went on any longer, we might end up regretting it.

" _ **LIGHTENING JOUST!"**_

Suddenly Examon found himself knocked out of the air and onto the ground, suddenly a knight landed in front of us, "Looks like I came here just in time, I'll hold off Examon, you work on freeing your partners!" He ordered us, before we could even try to answer he went right back to attacking Examon.

I looked to Psychemon, who seemed to be calming down as the inky blackness left him, "Psychemon? Are you alright? What **was** that?" I asked, the others gathered around, sharing my concern for our friend.

Psychemon shook his head, "It's… it's nothing… please… just leave it alone," He said. I wanted to try to push him further about it, but I decided against it, fearing it would set him over the edge again.

We all rushed to the pods as the knight held Examon back, there had to be a way to stop the process! I scanned the machine with my internal computer, it took a bit of scanning but I eventually found the control panel, but it was on the opposite side of the room! "There's a control panel, but it's quite a ways away," I explained to the others.

Gaomon let out a frustrated growl, "Of course it is," He groaned, "How are we gonna get all the way there before they become statues?" He asked.

Before I could even offer a suggestion, Okamon scooped me off the ground and began to run for the panel, "You can crack that thing right?" He asked me and he leaped from statue to statue trying to get to the control panel.

I nodded, "There isn't a computer in the Digital World I can't crack," I said, suddenly a stray blast barely hit us, sending us tumbling across the floor.

We turned our heads to see Examon standing over us, "You think I'll sit here and let you save your demon partners? They die here, and there's nothing you can do to-" He growled before suddenly being hit with the knight's shield, knocking him away.

The knight turned to us, "Get to the control panel! HURRY!" He said, Okamon and I wasted no time in getting to the control panel.

I quickly began to go to work on it, Examon's computer system was laughably basic, I barely had to work on cracking it before I was able to deactivate the process, with a few simple keystrokes, I stopped the process, saving out friends. "There! That should do it," I said, I couldn't help but let a sigh of relief escape my lips, I had come so close to losing the humans, but I still managed to save them anyway… sometimes it payed to be cybernetic.

Examon stopped fighting the knight when he heard the chambers deactivate, "What?! No! NO!" He roared, he then turned in my direction, "YOU!" He growled before flying right at me, but the knight quickly intervened, causing the dragon to ram right into his shield.

I quickly ran over to Jason's pod, I needed to get him out of there before Examon tried to start the process again. The second I got there, the pod opened, and Jason fell out, "Wh… what?" He mumbled as I caught him before he fell to the ground.

I quickly propped him up on my shoulders, "It's alright, you're safe now, we need to get out of here before-" I began before I was interrupted by the loud thud of Examon's feet hitting the floor, he was holding the knight in one of his hands.

I could see the anger and hate in his emerald eyes, he hated me, I could tell, "You meddling little rookie! I was doing you a **favor**! But it seems you'd rather live as a slave than a free Digimon! Fine, since you care so much for this weak little thing, you can **die** with it!" He said before aiming his arm cannon right at me.

I quickly rolled us out of the way before he could execute us with his arm cannon, Jason was starting to shake the cobwebs, "Okay… when did Examon become a kill crazy psycho?" Jason asked me.

I turned to him, "It's a long story, point being he hates humans and wants to kill you," I said, I'd have to explain things to him more later, but right now we needed to focus on survival.

Jason pulled out his Digivice, "I don't know how much good it will do against him, but it's better than nothing," He said, his hand glowing with his Digispirit, he slammed the hand on his Digivice, and I felt the familiar sensation of Digivolving again, before I knew it, I was Sealsdramon again.

Examon began to approach us again, "Oh how quaint, you've Digivolved to Champion! But you forget, I'm a **Mega!** You're still too **weak** to stop **me**!" He said before backhanding me across the room, slamming into another "statue" with a hard thud. "Face the reality Sealsdramon! You and your pet human are going to **die** here! **I** am the **only** one who can stop Rex! You and your worthless friends will only get in the way!" He said, he was completely insane now, I could see the madness in his eyes, his failure to kill Jason and his friends had finally broken him.

Not that it mattered much, his raw power alone was enough to allow him to begin beating me within an inch of my life, I tried to fight back, but Examon just took each blow in stride, I was losing, I could feel my data weakening with every blow he landed, "You can feel it? Can't you Sealsdramon? The inevitability of death creeping ever closer? The hopelessness of your struggle? Don't worry, it will **end** soon enough!" He cackled, however the knight managed to lock him in a sleeper hold, pulling the dragon king off of me. "Dammit! Do you ever give up Gallentmon?" Examon strained, trying to throw Gallentmon off of him to no avail.

Gallentmon was then finally thrown off of the dragon, but he righted himself just in time, "Think of what you're doing Examon! These humans are our last hope to stop Rex Nexion! Everything you've built here will be destroyed if you kill them!" Gallentmon pleaded with the dragon king.

However, he was beyond reason at this point, his mind broken by his own failure, "NO! I can kill Rex! I CAN! We don't need these worthless pink primates to stop him! They're weak and cannot be trusted!" He said.

I suddenly felt something touch my arm, it was Jason, "You alright man?" He asked me, having someone care about me like that still took some getting used to, but I knew I had to answer.

I tried to get up, but my body just fell right back into the statue that Examon had beaten me into, "No good, my body's spent," I said, I could almost hear Jason's hart hit the floor when I said that, seeing me like this must have been killing him.

However Jason's determination quickly returned, "We're not beaten yet," He said, he then turned to face Examon, wh… what was he doing?! "HEY! Scale face!" He called to Examon, Examon let out a manic growl as Jason addressed him, "You say you can beat Rex, but I don't think you can," He said.

Examon's eyes burned with anger at this comment, "How DARE you! You know **nothing**! I am the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World! I can destroy anyone I choose to, with but a thought!" Examon boasted.

However Jason never lost his confidence, "You? Please, you can't even destroy a couple of scrubs and their Digimon, what chance do **you** have against the Digimon King?" He taunted him. Jason was going to get himself killed! I tried to reach a hand out to stop him, but my body was too weak to even do that. "You know what? I think you're scared! Scared we're going to upstage you! You can't stand it that someone else is going to be the hero while you sit there and mope! After all, how dare anyone but you get the praise of the Digital World right?" He said.

That did it, Examon let out a furious howl as he rushed Jason, slamming the human against the wall, "JASON! NO! Let him go!" I cried out but they were already at the far wall, Jason, oddly, wasn't even struggling, just glaring at Examon.

However, Examon was clearly furious, "How **dare** you even suggest that I, the great Examon, am envious of such a pitiful thing like **you**! What right do you have to mock me?! You should be trembling before me! Asking forgiveness!" He snarled.

But Jason kept his composure, "Why should I be afraid of a salty dragon like you?" He asked, I suddenly began to feel an energy well up within me, "Me and Sealsdramon have faced so much together, I've faced death more times than I can count since I got here, you think some dragon is going to scare me?" He said.

I then noticed his hand was glowing even brighter with his Digispirit, "You're not going to stop Rex, you would have done it by now if you could, you just don't want **us** to be the ones that do it!" Jason spat at the dragon, he then pressed his hand against the Digivice again.

That's when I felt it, the sudden rush of energy that came with Digivolution, was… was I going to Ultimate? How? Was Jason's Courage alone enough to send me to the next level? I began to feel my body shift into a new form. "Sealsdramon Digivolve too..." I said almost compulsively, soon my vision had gone completely white, but only for a second, before I suddenly found myself back in the trophy room in my new form, "TANKDRAMON!" I proclaimed proudly.

I saw a cocky smirk stretch across Jason's face, Examon seemed confused at first, but then he noticed my new form, "So… you managed to get your pet to Ultimate? BAH! It matters not! You're still a level below me! I will crush your Digimon and prove to you why I **am** powerful enough to beat Rex!" He snarled before coming right at me.

Gallentmon landed right next to me, "He's gone completely mad, he's not thinking clearly, we can use that to our advantage Tankdramon!" Gallentmon told me, I gave him a nod before we both managed to get out of the way of Examon's attack.

I quickly aimed by back cannon, " _ **STRIVER CANNON!**_ " I bellowed before a barrage of missiles took flight towards Examon, knocking him out of the air and sending him to the ground with a loud thud.

Examon was clearly surprised he was hit with that shot given the look on his face, but didn't have time to retaliate as Gallentmon readied his shield, " _ **SHIELD OF THE JUST!**_ " He cried as a blast shot from his shield, the blast sending Examon back into the far wall. "Just give up now Examon! There's no need for anyone to die here," Gallentmon tried pleading with him one more time, it was clear he didn't **want** to kill Examon, but Examon wasn't giving him much of a choice.

Examon got to his feet, "NEVER! I'll **die** before I concede the fate of the Digital World to a bunch of humans!" He growled, before making another mad dash for us, Gallentmon and I looked to each other, silently agreeing we had no other choice.

" _ **STRIVER CANNON!"**_

" _ **SHIELD OF THE JUST!"**_

Both attacks hit their mark, causing a rather huge explosion, destroying a good amount of the statues in the room, when the smoke cleared Examon was on the floor, his data breaking apart, "I… Impossible… how… how could I be beaten? I… I'm the Digital World's champion! ME! How could I fall to… to..." He stammered as his body began to break apart.

Gallentmon approached the fallen dragon king, "Because old friend, you let your ego cloud your judgment, you fell into jealousy and anger, but fear not, when you are reborn, you will have your kingdom again," He said.

Examon finally broke away into fragments… the Dragon King was no more…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

It took a while to get everyone back on their feet and out of the castle, "Okay! No more rest stops! EVER AGAIN!" Ross yelled as we exited the castle, I couldn't disagree, after all that happened back there, I'd rather just rough it than risk an attack again, but I was still glad we were able to save our human partners in the end, they were good people, and didn't deserve to spend the rest of their days as statues.

Ethan came out next, "Dude, I can't believe we were almost made into glorified art work!" He commented.

Bridget came out after him, "I'm with Ross, next time we need to rest, we're sleeping in the woods," She said with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Jason let a nervous chuckle escape his lips, "Alright alright! I get it, I screwed up, but hey, at least we got one of our Digimon to Ultimate," He said, shooting me a smile.

Kate came out of the castle next, "Yeah, but next time, can we do it without nearly getting turned to stone?" She said half jokingly, causing everyone in the group to let out a laugh.

All except Psychemon, who seemed a bit… withdrawn, I had a feeling what happened to him back in the trophy room was still hanging heavy on his mind, I would have to tell Jason about that at some point, but not right now, we'd been through a lot recently and we needed a break from fear and terror.

"Alright gang," Jason began, addressing the others, "Next stop, the Nightmare Soldiers!" He proclaimed proudly, and with that we were off, leaving the Dragon's Roar territory behind us…

* * *

 **A/N: WOW! What a chapter eh?**

 **For added fun, try the "Foowd's Crappy Writing Drinking Game"! Take a shot every time I say "Rushed towards/in", you'll be dead within minutes…**


	20. Jeakle and Hyde

**Chapter 20: Jeakle and Hyde**

* * *

Things were quiet in the wake of what happened at Examon's castle, we were all still a bit shaken from almost being turned into statues, another in a long line of near deaths we had faced together.

However we had seemed to have gained a new tag along, Gallentmon, he had said before we left the castle he had "things to discuss with us", so I guess he was just waiting for us to find a place to park ourselves.

Jason had settled on a small clearing in the forest, getting the campsite ready with the bag of supplies we had collected from Toy Land a while ago, Commandramon insisting they weren't booby trapped.

As everyone began to set up camp, I began to notice that Psychemon had been acting… odd since we left the castle, he'd always been kinda distant, he was a shy and timid Digimon after all, but this was different, he seemed like he was just… withdrawn, he hadn't spoken a word since the castle, the only times he acknowledged the others presence was when he was asked something, and even then he only offered a small nod or shake of the head.

It was clear something was bothering him, I thought back to his reaction when Jason said we were headed to the Nightmare Soldiers next, something had to have happened to him there, but whatever it was, Psychemon wasn't saying. To be honest, I was beginning to worry about him.

But that would have to wait, as the minute everyone finished setting up the camp, Gallentmon called us to meeting, we all took a seat in a circle, waiting to hear what the knight Digimon had to say.

Gallentmon waited until everyone was seated before explaining, "I'm sure you all are wondering why I wanted to speak with you," He began, "Kentaruosmon is an old friend of mine, he and I are members of a group of extraordinary Digimon, the Royal Knights," He continued.

Kentaruosmon never mentioned anything about being a member of a group outside of the rebellion, "The Royal Knights are charged by the former king of the Digital World, Yggdrasil, to protect it and it's inhabitants, we've done this for countless years, but as you can see… we've failed," Said Gallentmon, his voice wavering slightly, it was clear how seriously he took his mission, and how much his failure hurt him, "We spent a few years trying to reclaim our fallen land to no avail, it seemed no matter what we tried, Rex always had a counter, and now… I fear that many of my brothers have resigned to their… new king," He said.

Wait… what? "What do you mean, new king?" I asked, I had a sinking feeling I knew the answer already, but I was still hoping I was wrong.

But Gallentmon sighed, "Some of my brothers have abandoned Yggdrasil's will to serve Rex Nexion, I only found out about this a few days ago, that's why I needed to find you, inform you of what awaited you at Rex's castle," He explained, it was a sobering thought, that Rex had some of the Royal Knights on his side, who according to Gallentmon were among the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World!

Ross stood up, "But why? I thought you said their job was to protect the Digital World? Why turn to the guy who's ruining it?" He asked.

Gallentmon could only lower his head, "I do not know, my guess is they felt that Rex's rule couldn't be challenged, and resigned to their fate," He answered.

Jason shook his head, "Then we'll just have to beat them too," He said, at least someone had some confidence.

But Gallentmon felt differently, "It's not that simple Jason, you're not strong enough to defeat the Royal Knights. I admire your bravery, but this is a fight you cannot win, focus on reclaiming the Nightmare Soldiers territory, leave Rex to us," He said.

Wait… were we being sidelined? Gallentmon seemed a bit forceful with that statement, making it clear he wasn't interested in debating it, everyone in the group had the same reaction, a mix of shock and anger.

Of course, Ross was the one to react verbally, "Oh hell no! We didn't run all over bloody creation and barely survive Examon's castle just to be benched!" He yelled, Ross never seemed to be able to control his temper, and yelling at an all powerful knight Digimon was probably not the best idea to put it bluntly.

I could see Gallentmon's golden eyes glaring at Ross from underneath his helmet, "Things have changed Ross! Kentaruosmon may be willing to risk your lives to save the Digital World, but I'm not! You've done great things for us already, taking back the Metal Empire and turning the queen to our side are both great victories. But facing Rex and the Royal Knights is too much to ask of you, I understand you want to help us, but this stopped being your fight when Rex turned my brothers against me," He said.

I was beginning to suspect there was more to this than Gallentmon being worried about our safety, the way he spoke told me he was more upset his friends were turned against him, and he didn't want anyone getting in the way, "Gallentmon, we appreciate the concern, but we've come this far, we aren't giving up now," I said, I thought putting it a little… nicer, than Ross did would help him understand.

But instead, "This isn't up for discussion! It was wrong for Kentaruosmon to involve you in the first place! You're lucky I don't send you all home right now! I couldn't bear it if any innocents fell to my brother's blades, please, just don't engage the knights, leave them to me," He said before getting up, "I thank you for your efforts, but understand that some things, not even the Digidestined can overcome," He said before leaving.

We all just sat there for what felt like hours, none of us knowing how to respond that what had just transpired, but soon someone broke the silence, "Damn, what got into him?" Ethan asked.

We all turned to him, "I had no idea Rex turned some of the knights, it must have only happened recently because I never saw any of them when I was working for him," Bridget chimed in.

We all then turned to Jason, "What do we do?" I asked him, Jason had sort of become the leader of the group, the new pair of goggles that sat on his head sort of symbolized that in a way, add that to the fact he was the one who usually made the decisions for the group and we basically just resigned to following him.

Jason thought it over for a moment, you could practically hear the gears turning in his head and he thought of the best course of action, "The plan doesn't change, we take down the Nightmare Soldiers and proceed to Rex's castle, Gallentmon may not like it, but we're here for a reason, and I didn't go through hell and back just to go home, not knowing if our efforts did anything or not" He said.

One could argue defying Gallentmon's wishes was unwise, but Jason had a point, we were all brought here to do a job, and going home without knowing for sure if the Digital World was even saved or not wouldn't sit well with me, the doubt as to whether or not we did our jobs would never leave me, I couldn't live with that.

So it was settled, we all decided to continue on anyway, Gallentmon may not approve, but I'm sure he'd forgive us if we actually managed to do it, hopefully.

Soon day turned to night, everyone got into their tents with their Digimon partners, the Digimon understandably being reluctant to let us out of their sight after the Examon incident. Psychemon and I got separate sleeping bags ready for the night, all the while he still refused to say a word, or even so much as make eye contact with me.

He was **really** beginning to worry me here, "Psychemon, are you okay? You've been acting weird since we left the Dragon's Roar territory," I asked him, Psychemon didn't even so much as flinch in reaction, just continuing to stare at the ground as he rolled his sleeping bag out.

It was clear I wasn't going to get him to talk, so I began to roll out my own sleeping bag, but then, "Kate… you're my friend… right?" He asked suddenly, what an odd question, but the look on his face told me he was very serious, I could even see his purple eyes beginning to water slightly.

I blinked before giving me answer, "Of course I am, what kind of question is that?" I said with a small chuckle, but Psychemon's dower expression remained, it was clear something was on his mind, something that was tearing him apart inside.

Psychemon averted his eyes for a moment, "Kate… I'm… I'm scared… scared of what might… happen when we… we..." He said, clearly struggling to come out with whatever it was he was trying to say to me. "I just… I don't want you to get hurt..." He added.

Fearing for my safety was nothing new for Psychemon, it had become a common fear of his since we became partners, but this was somehow different, I couldn't place it, but something about his body language told me there was more to this than he was telling me, "Psychemon, whatever is waiting for us in the Nightmare Soldiers, we'll overcome it, we always do," I told him, patting him on the head in an attempt to put his mind at ease.

Psychemon however didn't respond the way I thought, shaking his head and shutting his eyes, "It's not them I'm worried about!" He suddenly yelled, I stepped back in surprise, Psychemon then began to pace around the tent, mumbling something to himself that I couldn't quite make out, he just clutched his head, as I began to notice a dark mist beginning to emanate from his body, his eyes shot open, revealing that they were now a crimson red and softly glowing, his pupils shrunken giving him a manic look.

I began to back away, at a loss for words as to what was happening to my Digimon friend, "NO!" He yelled, forcing his eyes shut again, "You won't hurt her! I won't let you!" He screamed, I had to do something, he was unhinged, possibly losing his mind!

I grabbed him by the shoulders, "Psychemon? Psychemon snap out of it!" I pleaded with him, I couldn't even begin to imagine what was happening to him, but he needed my help!

Psychemon finally snapped out of it, his eyes returning to their usual purple, he began to tear up again, "I… I'm sorry..." He squeaked, I squeezed him in a comforting embrace, it was all I could think to do, holding him like a mother would a child, I didn't know what had just happened to him, but I had a feeling I hadn't seen the last of it…

* * *

 _ **The Next Day…**_

* * *

Somehow after Psychemon's little… episode… we had managed to sleep, and be greeted by the new day, I had decided not to mention Psychemon's episode to the group, last thing he needed was everyone distrusting him. Jason had made it clear that we were headed to the Nightmare Soldiers right after breakfast. Breakfast being more of Commandramon's "rations", it was all we really had and, well they weren't exactly the most tasty foods.

They were supposed to be protein bars, but they were so dry and bland that I could have sworn at one point I was eating chalk, even the Digimon, who **loved** food couldn't seem to stomach the things. I guess I shouldn't have expected more from a regime of cyborg soldiers, them having food at all was surprising.

But soon enough everyone was finished and were ready to head out, I tried to keep Psychemon close in case he had another episode, being near me seemed to bring him some comfort, it was like I had theorized at the hotel, all he really needed was a friend he could trust, I had never really dealt with someone like Psychemon before, Sam was always just as brave as I was, although she was less adventurous than me, she always tried to act tough, I imagined in my head how Sam would react in this situation.

She'd probably tell Psychemon to man up, I loved Sam but she was never much of a people person. But I couldn't lie, I was a little afraid right now, I didn't know what it was Psychemon was fighting off inside his head, but whatever it was, I doubted any of us wanted to confront it. The thought of losing him made my heart sink, I had gotten used to having Psychemon around, and I knew he wasn't a bad Digimon, just given a bad hand in life, I'd hate to see him fall into whatever it was he was fighting.

It wasn't long until the forest we trudged through began to change, becoming increasingly more twisted and malformed as we walked. The best way I could describe it was if the forest had suddenly began to be designed by Tim Burton, with jagged and curled trees and harsh purple skies, I noticed Psychemon trying his best to hide behind me, like he didn't want to be seen here.

We soon found ourselves in the town itself, which shared the forest's Tim Burton like design, the buildings were twisted and malformed, with odd angles and deformed windows, it was as if we had stepped right into a Nightmare Before Christmas, I half expected Jack Skelington to rise from the fountain and greet us.

The Digimon that resided within the town were a mix of ghosts, ghouls, and other nightmarish creatures, it was bizarre to say the least, but then again, few things in the Digital World weren't.

However, before we could reach the main gate, someone dropped right in front of us, scaring the crap out of all of us. He could only be described as a bird in Japanese armor, a crow if I were to hazard a guess given the jet black feathers that poked from his armor and clothing, he clutched two golden swords in his hands, two large black wings stuck out from his back.

The crow pointed a sword right at Jason's neck, "If you value your lives you will turn back **now** humans! You may have befallen the Metal Empire, but the Nightmare Soldiers are not that easy to defeat!" He warned us, I guess it was kind of dumb to expect to be able to just _walk_ into the Nightmare Soldiers territory without issue.

Jason took out his Digivice, "We're taking Rex down! You can either get out of our way or we can go right through you!" He said, Jason was trying to sound confident, but I could see his knees shake.

The Crow cracked his neck, clearly not willing to back down, "The Nightmare Soldiers will not yield to the likes of you boy, if you wish to fight then so be it," He said before launching himself right at us, swords bared. Jason and the others quickly Digivolved their Digimon, Tankdramon managing to stop the crow's swords before they could cut Jason down. "You react pretty quickly human, most impressive," Said the crow before jumping off Tankdramon's chest and going airborne.

God did I feel useless right now, I couldn't Digivolve Psychemon to even Champion! So I was forced to just hang in the back and let the others handle the crow man, the crow Digimon holding his own very well against the other's Digimon, effortlessly kicking and slashing them away, I took out my Digivice to get a stat read up on him,

 _ **Karatenmon**_

 _ **Level: Ultimate**_

 _ **Type: Demon Man**_

 _ **Attribute: Virus**_

 _ **Family: Nightmare Soldiers**_

 _ **Attacks: Feather Flare, Harmony Swords, Satori**_

 _ **Karatenmon are Demon Man Digimon who resemble crows and are master swordsmen, it's two swords, referred to as Irataka no Ken, contain strong magic power, and with it's Satori technique, can predict enemy attacks with frightening accuracy.**_

Well that wasn't good, that "predict enemy attacks" bit seemed especially disheartening, and explained why Karatenmon was able to outmaneuver the Digimon so easily, even Tankdramon was having a hard time keeping up with the crow warrior, missing wild shots with his Striver Cannon.

How the hell were we going to beat this guy? He seemed almost untouchable, we were fighting a losing battle and we hadn't even entered the territory yet! Maybe Gallentmon was right and we should have just left it alone?

The other Digimon were all soon dispatched by Karatenmon, all beaten and cut on the floor, unable to get up, "Worthless, you're nothing but children blindly throwing themselves against a wall hoping it crumbles, at least the King will be pleased when I inform him the Digidestined are no longer a threat..." He said before moving in for the killing blow, grabbing Tankdramon by the helmet… thing… "I'll start with you, since you're the only one who can Digivolve to Ultimate," He said.

He was going to kill Tankdramon! I could see the panic in Jason's eyes, it seemed hopeless, to think he'd go from beating Examon to being taking down by **this** guy of all people was both horrible, and ironic. However…

"Karatenmon stand down!"

We all stopped and turned to Psychemon, I just stared at him… confused… was he trying to **order** him around? I admit it's a bold strategy but I doubt it'd work! This is the equivalent of asking the bad guy nicely not to be so mean!

However, Karatenmon's reaction was even **more** surprising, "Prince Astamon? Is that you?" He asked. Astamon? I was completely lost here, it seemed that Karatenmon and Psychemon knew each other, Karatenmon dropped Tankdramon and approached us, "In all my days, I never expected you to return Astamon, especially not as… this," He said, dropping to one knee so he was eye level with Psychemon.

I was really confused now, what the hell is even going on? I felt like someone who had caught a movie right in the middle of the climax, missing all of the important context that would otherwise explain what was going on. It was maddening!

Suddenly a hoard of Digimon began to funnel through the gates, surrounding us, suddenly another Digimon stepped forward, or rather, floated, as this Digimon lacked legs, he could only be described as a grim reaper with metal bones and a laser scythe. "So… the Demon Prince returns after all this time…" The reaper said, looming over me and Psychemon.

Karatenmon tried to stand between the two, "Don't do this MetalFantomon, not now," He said, but the skeletal Digimon just shoved the crow away.

He then proceeded to hold the blade of his scythe right to Psychemon's throat, "You thought you could just walk in here?! After you betrayed us?! Because of you we fell to the Digimon King!" He accused Psychemon.

Psychemon couldn't bring himself to say anything, just sadly staring off to the side, it was as if he had no fear of death, almost welcoming it, I had to step in, I wasn't going to let this bone head do this to my friend, "Look! I don't know what you people are talking about, but I'm not going to let you hurt my friend! So back off!" I yelled, it was a toothless threat, I doubted I could take any of these things in a fight, but **someone** had to stick up for Psychemon!

MetalFantomon just sort of glared at me, despite his lack of eyes I could still feel him watching me, "My my… you betray us yet again Astamon, don't tell me this pathetic girl controls the will of the once mighty Demon Prince? That you stand opposed to the very master you allowed us to fall to? If you think this redeems you in any way you are quite mistaken," The metal skeleton said.

Karatenmon quickly moved between Psychemon and MetalFantomon, "I know what he did was unforgivable, but we need to move past it! This could be our chance to retake the Nightmare Soldiers from Rex!" He pleaded with MetalFantomon.

I could feel my emotions beginning to well up, everyone in the crowd was calling for poor Psychemon's head, Karatenmon being the only one who wanted to spare him. Why? He wasn't a bad Digimon! He didn't do anything wrong! Why can't they just leave him alone?! "Bah! You speak nonsense Karatenmon! He's already dammed us! In his current form, it would be all too easy to end his miserable existence! Do we not deserve justice for what he'd done to us?! It would be a crime **not** to end him, before he massacres another of our villages?" He said.

No… he wouldn't do that! I know Psychemon! He's far to kind and gentle to do something so heinous, "You're wrong! He's not a monster! I don't know what you think he did but he's not a monster!" I yelled, I wasn't going to sit here and listen to this… thing insult my friend like this!

MetalFantomon turned his head in my direction, "Shows how little you know of your own pet Digimon," He said before moving in towards Psychemon.

I couldn't let this happen! Not to him! It wasn't right! I don't care **what** he did, he wasn't a bad Digimon! I knew he wasn't! Why won't they listen?! Why won't they just leave him alone? Everyone keeps hurting him! Rosemon, Rex's minions, the Nightmare Soldiers, why can't they all just leave him be?! I felt the anger bubble up inside me, frustration over my inability to even Digivolve him so he could fight back, why can't I Digivolve him?! WHY?!

I clutched my Digivice tightly in my hand, squeezing it in anger, this stupid thing never worked! Now he was going to be killed and I was powerless to help him! Come on! Just WORK! DIGIVOLVE DAMN YOU!

Suddenly the Digivice came alive, surrounded by a strange purple aura, had I done it? Did I unlock my Digispirit? No… something about this felt off, I looked to see Psychemon was being consumed by that black aura I had seen last night, he seemed both shocked and frightened, he turned to me, "Kate! RUN!" He called out to me before the blackness overtook him.

His body began to shift and change, I was beginning to feel like I had just made a huge mistake, when the final form began to take shape, the once lovable, shy Digimon I knew was replaced with a towering humanoid figure, he looked almost like a mobster with his pin striped blue suit, gray and red trench coat, red scarf, and the Tommy Gun he held in his hand, his face was covered by a dark violet pelt that appeared to be canine, it had a pair of olive colored horns sticking out of it's forehead, which bore an "X" shaped scar, two purple bat wings jutted out of his back, which combined with the disheveled, worn look of his clothing, gave off a very demonic look that only compounded how much of a mistake I had made.

The new Digimon took a look at his surroundings, before noticing the now quite frightened MetalFantomon standing right in front of him, he grew a wicked smirk, "Well well, MetalFantomon, it's been a while," He said with a cocky tone that didn't fit with Psychemon at all, "Aw… what's wrong skull face? I thought you were gonna get revenge on me? But all I see is a quivering little Digimon who just stared death in the face," He said with a cackle.

Before long the Digimon formally known as Psychemon began to fire his Tommy Gun into the crowd, "ASTAMON'S BACK BABY! HAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed, a sickening cackle that made a pit in my stomach, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! The once shy and timid Psychemon was now firing wildly into a crowd of Digimon, laughing like a maniac.

Wh… what have I done? I knew he was afraid of something inside himself! And I basically just allowed it to control him completely! How… how could I do that to him? He cried out for help and I basically shoved it right in his face! I fell to my hands and knees, my Digivice click clacking against the ground, I just wanted to help him… and instead, only hurt him more…

I could still hear Astamon's gunfire, the screams of his victims, all with the knowledge it was all my fault… I'm so sorry Psychemon, I felt my eyes begin to water, my tears hitting the dirt beneath me, what must the others think of me now? I unleashed this demon on them, god he probably killed at least one of them!

I felt someone grab my arm, I turned to see Ross trying to pull me away, "Kate come on! You're gonna get shot if you stay there!" He said, I couldn't even find it in myself to fight him off, I was broken, all my will and confidence completely destroyed by what I'd done, every life he took was but more blood on my hands.

Ross dragged me to the others, I could see the poor Digimon fleeing in terror of their former prince's rampage, "Holy crap man, what the hell happened to Psychemon! Dude's a straight up psycho!" Ethan blurted, his words stung like a knife being jammed into my chest.

Jason shook his head, "We have to stop this! It won't be long before he turns that gun on us!" He said, I hated to admit it, but he was right, in this state, Astamon wasn't Psychemon anymore, he was Astamon, Demon Prince, I doubted he'd hesitate to shoot us if he wanted to.

Speaking of, Astamon began to laugh again, "Come on! Where's your Digimon King now huh?! Bring him out here and I'll light his ass up too!" He cackled, it was heartbreaking seeing him like this, such a sweet and kind Digimon corrupted by my own anger.

Suddenly he was approached by Gaogamon, the first of our Digimon to recover from the fight with Karatenmon, "Psychemon stop! That's enough!" He pleaded.

Astamon stopped firing and turned to his former comrade, "Psychemon's gone mutt! I'm Astamon now! And I'm gonna paint this sh**hole RED!" He said before hitting Gaogamon with a devastating kick to the jaw, sending him sailing through the air.

Gaogamon landed on the ground, forcibly rejoining his comrades, "He's too far gone, we're going to have to take him down," Said Gaogamon, I felt my heart hit the floor when he said that, especially since he wasn't wrong, Psychemon was gone, this… this monster was all that remained…

The Digimon all got to their feet, launching themselves at Astamon, Okamimon revved up his fire disk, "Psychemon stop this! You're gonna kill everyone! Including our partners! _**FIRE DISK**_ _!_ " He said as he launched his attack.

Astamon simply batted it away with his hand, "That's rich coming from the Queen's lapdog," He said before kicking Okamimon away with a huge roundhouse kick to the head.

Suddenly Tankdramon managed to grab in in a bear hug from behind, "Psychemon please! This isn't you! Don't do something you're going to regret!" He pleaded, trying to restrain the Demon Prince.

However, Astamon somehow managed to lift Tankdramon off his treads and tossed him through the air, "Oh but it is me! I'm more **me** than I've been for a **long** time!" He said with a laugh.

This was **really** bad! There was no way we could fight him off! My guilt was beginning to stack, I've doomed us all! All because I couldn't control my anger, all my friends… their Digimon… all doomed…

No… I had to stop this! I did this to him, I had to be able to **un** do it, I began to approach Astamon, "Kate? What the hell are you doing?!" I heard Ross call out to me.

I had to end this, Psychemon had to be in there somewhere, and if anyone could reach him… it was me. I finally reached Astamon, who was currently smacking Aquilamon around, "Psychemon!" I called out, I was of course terrified, I'd never been so afraid in my life, but I had to do this, I had to save him…

Astamon stopped, tossing Aquilamon aside before turning to me, "Psychemon's dead kid, I'm Astamon! The Demon Prince!" He said rather proudly.

I couldn't let him intimidate me, this wasn't the first time I'd faced the possibility of him killing me, but he was far more powerful this time, and would be harder to reason with, but I had to, "That's a lie! I know he's still in there! Psychemon I'm so sorry I did this to you, you were afraid and now I know why, but you can still fight him! Please, don't become the monster these people say you are!" I said, I could tell by Astamon's body language I wasn't reaching him, he seemed more annoyed by my attempts to plead with him than anything.

Astamon loaded his Tommy Gun, "Please spare me the sentimental crap! The simpering little cry baby you knew is gone, and he ain't commin' back," He said before aiming his gun right at my head, I felt the metal barrel press against my bangs and forehead, the warmth that remained from it's previous firings.

I could only close my eyes and cry, I did this to him, I couldn't even reach him anymore, and now he was going to kill me, "Kate! Get out of there!" I heard Gaogamon call to me, but I couldn't find it in me to run, I was so afraid, so hopeless, I just wanted my friend back… that's all, how could I be so careless? He trusted me, and I betrayed him, and I couldn't fix it… I'm so sorry Psychemon… I'm so sorry…

However, I felt the gun barrel begin to shake, I opened my eyes to see Astamon's arm was shaking, he was… hesitating, "Wh… what is this? Why… why can't I..." Astamon said in shock, my eyes widened, Psychemon **was** still in there, deep inside that demon still lied my friend, I just needed to reach him!

I looked up at Astamon, looking right into his eyes, "You aren't a bad Digimon Psychemon… this all happened because I was so angry these people couldn't see what I saw in you, a sweet, caring Digimon who was never given a chance by anyone, and just needed someone to stand by them…" I began, I could see Astamon's expression waver, "Even now… as you take this horrible form, gun aimed at my head… it's just like back at the hotel… isn't it?" I said, letting a smile cross my face, "I remember how afraid you were, of Rosemon, of what would happen if you didn't kill me, I remember thinking you weren't a bad Digimon even then, you were afraid of being hurt again, I still think that… you've never had someone to trust have you? Someone who wouldn't hurt you, even after all of this… I still believe in you Psychemon…" I said, I could see the tears welling up in the demon prince's eyes.

He suddenly dropped his gun, sobbing softly to himself, "Kate… I..." He stammered, "I'm sorry," He added, I was overwhelmed with relief, I had managed to reach him again, even now.

The Demon Prince dropped to his knees, "I… I never told you about my past because I was afraid you'd hate me… I… I'm the reason they fell to the Digimon King, I… I killed King Myotismon and ran away… yet… you still care about me? Why?" He said.

I imagine it was alien for the few Nightmare Soldiers that remained to see their former prince in such a vulnerable state, "That's what friends do Psychemon, we look past the bad things and embrace the good, you'll always be Psychemon to me, no matter what Astamon has done," I said.

I saw the data around him begin to break away, before he was suddenly returned to his old self, he looked at me with his purple eyes, "You… forgive me?" He asked.

I gave him a smile and wrapped my arms around him, "Of course I do… you're my friend… no matter what you turn into," I said, and for the first time, I saw a big smile across his pelt covered face, as he returned the embrace, Psychemon was a Digimon who'd been mistreated everywhere he went, be it here, Rosemon's hotel, or wherever else he'd roamed, he'd never been given a chance, all he ever needed was someone to confide in, someone to tell him it was going to be okay.

In the end, everyone wants that in a way, to matter to someone, to have someone in the world who'd cry when we're gone, poor Psychemon never had that until now, and he never even realized it until now.

All he wanted was to have a friend… and he finally had one…

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go, possibly the most emotional chapter I've written in this story since Ross' Digivolution chapter, I hope it was worth the wait!**


	21. A Fractured Family

**Chapter 21: A Fractured Family**

* * *

After everything with Psychemon had cooled down Karatenmon and the others lead us into the town, it was odd that they were being so inviting to us, weren't we their enemy? At least be mad that Astamon slaughtered like… half of your village! We were all ushered into a building in the center of town, which naturally was a Gothic cathedral, complete with stained glass windows, cobwebs, and an alter at the far end.

I laid Psychemon onto one of the many seats there, he had fallen asleep from losing so much energy during his rampage. Karatenmon approached us, sitting on the opposite side of Psychemon, he looked over Psychemon before turning his gaze to me, "We're lucky you were able to calm him down, last time Prince Astamon attacked us, the results were much more… messy," He said.

I felt a guilty ping in my stomach, it was still kind of my fault Psychemon went insane, "I'm sorry I caused that… I just… when MetalFantomon started throwing those accusations at him, I got so mad and I… I," I began, I knew he had to hold **some** anger towards me after that… I basically helped Astamon slaughter a good chunk of his friends.

But Karatenmon shook his head, "I don't blame you, MetalFantomon sealed his own fate when he antagonized Astamon like that," He said, he was being bizarrely forgiving for a guy who not two hours ago wanted to slice us to ribbons and present the remains to the Digimon King.

The others gathered around, sitting in the rows of the gothic church with many questions on their minds no doubt, "Not that I'm not grateful you're inviting us here, but weren't you trying to kill us a few seconds ago?" Ross asked.

Karatenmon, to his credit, didn't take offense to Ross' rather… direct, question, choosing instead to keep his calm and collected demeanor, "I apologize for that… but we get attacked so often here I thought you intended to level our village like you did Datamon's city," He clarified.

Jason raised a confused eyebrow, "Why do you get attacked so often? I didn't think the rebels were that direct," He said.

But Karatenmon had an odd reaction, more confused than anything, however he quickly lost that expression, trading it for his usual blank expression, "It's not the Rebels, it's the rest of the Nightmare Soldiers," He corrected.

To say we all found this confusing would be an understatement, why would the Nightmare Soldiers attack each other? Karatenmon noticed our confusion, "Not all of the Nightmare Soldiers were willing to surrender to the King's rule," He said, "After Lord Myotismon fell, the faction was split in two, one lead by LadyDevimon who wished to join with the Digimon King, and those lead by me who wanted to continue on, naturally our side was the weaker of the two, and we were forced to come here, this village was the only one we could hold up in… it's secluded from the rest of the territory, and it was defensible," He explained.

So that was it then? The faction split in two because their previous leader fell? It made sense, the Nightmare Soldiers weren't machines like the Metal Empire, it was only natural some of them would still resist Rex's rule.

Karatenmon then continued his explanation, "But lately, Rex's forces have been getting more bold, more desperate, especially after the Metal Empire fell," He said, "I guess out of fear he might lose the Nightmare Soldiers, he's trying to take us over to strengthen his own forces," He theorized.

It was kinda hard not to feel at least a wee bit responsible for this, after all it was us who took down Datamon and the Metal Empire, no wonder Rex got desperate, but it was also a good sign right? It meant we were close to ending his rule if he was this desperate to bolster his own forces like this right?

Jason seemed to get the same idea as he rose to his feet, "Then this is the perfect time to strike, if he's desperate, then we can take him down now and end this war," He said.

But oddly, Karatenmon seemed reluctant, "It's not that simple, we attack now and he'll have even more reason to attack this village, and after Prince Astamon's… outburst, our numbers were reduced drastically," He said.

Bridget then decided to chime in, "But we can't just ignore an opportunity either, Rex isn't going to stop his attacks on this village, he wants complete control over the Nightmare Soldiers, we either strike now and end it, or you lose more of your men to their attacks," She said.

I wouldn't have been quite so… blunt about it, but I'd gathered that Bridget wasn't exactly the type to sugar coat your chances, and she knew Rex better than anyone else, so it was wise to trust her opinions.

Karatenmon stopped for a moment to think it over, weighing his options before finally coming to his conclusion, "Fine, I'll gather the remaining villagers and we'll formulate a plan to take Rex's castle, but I think it best to delay this attack until tomorrow, we still need to recover from… well," He said looking down at Psychemon, he had a point, we needed to prepare, and rest up, I doubted even with Rex panicking like he was, taking his castle would be easy. We needed to be as prepared as we could possibly be.

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

Karatenmon had brought us all to an old hotel building in the village, giving us all rooms to spend the night while they gathered resources and formed a game plan, Jason and Commandramon had chosen to join them, feeling at least one of the group needed to be present during the planning, the rest of us took to our new rooms, it was nice to be in a hotel room and **not** fear the people running it would try to kill us in the morning, it was funnily ironic given how the hotel shared the rest of the village's creepy gothic theme with dark colors and oddly shaped furniture.

Psychemon still hadn't woken up, which meant I had to carry him to our room, the hotel itself was abandoned so we didn't have to worry about room keys or checking in, but still, Psychemon was much heavier than you'd think, so even with those steps removed, it was still a task to get into the room.

The room itself was simple, two beds, a few chairs, an end table with a candle in the center, it was almost like it were ripped right from a Victorian horror story, it fit the theme of the village pretty well though I must say. I had chosen to lay Psychemon onto one of the beds.

He just laid there on the bed, his chest rising and falling as he breathed, this was the first moment I'd really gotten to think about all that had happened today, how Psychemon had been fighting his own inner demons the whole time and I hadn't even noticed until it was too late, no wonder the poor thing was so timid, he was probably afraid if he got too close to people he'd end up hurting them.

I laid in the second bed next to him, it was surprisingly soft given how little this hotel was used or even maintained, I guess things didn't degrade in the Digital World like they did back home… and with that, my mind instantly went back to home, it was so weird being so close to ending this, the idea of returning home was oddly bittersweet, on one hand, it would be nice to return to normalcy, and I missed Sam a lot, it would be great to be reunited with her again.

But on the other hand, I couldn't lie, I had gotten pretty used to everyone's company, Jason, Ethan, the Digimon, even Ross and Bridget had become close friends, I doubted I'd see them again after this was all over, they all lived in different countries, in the Digimon's case different worlds, part of me didn't want to leave them, but I knew deep down it was inevitable…

And how would Psychemon deal with me leaving once this was all over? It was clear just before he passed out how close he had gotten to me, I was one of the only friends he had in this world, would he be alright on his own when everything ended? Would **I** be alright? I can't lie, I had grown quite fond of the little pelt wearing lizard, he was almost like a little brother to me at this point, it'd be hard to say goodbye to him…

"K… Kate?"

I turned my head to see Psychemon had finally awoken, his eyes still looked heavy though, showing he had only **just** woken up, he groggily sat upwards, the bed creaking slightly under his shifting weight. I debated with myself as to whether or not I wanted to bring up Astamon to him or not, part of me really wanted answers as to what exactly it was that had happened back there, but I feared it would upset him, in the end I decided to suck it up and try my luck, "Psychemon… what **exactly** happened back there?" I asked him.

Psychemon showed no signs of hearing what I said, sitting still as stone with a groggy look on his face, I was just about to repeat my question when Psychemon suddenly spoke, "Something I'd been trying to prevent for a long time," He said, I noticed he was avoiding making eye contact with me, almost like a scolded child, fearful of retribution from their angered parent. It was obvious despite what I had said before he passed out that he still felt guilty about what he had done.

However, this hadn't answered my question, "Psychemon… that's not what I asked, what exactly **is** Astamon?" I asked him, trying not to be too forceful in fears I'd upset him or make him think I was angry with him. I wanted to know everything I could about this so I wouldn't blunder into putting him through that again.

Psychemon seemed hesitant, but he knew I wasn't going to stop asking until he answered, "He… he's who I used to be long before I met you," He answered, "Before Rex took over the Nightmare Soldiers, I used to be the prince of this territory, ruling beside Myotismon as the Demon Prince," He elaborated.

Psychemon kept looking off to the side, no doubt recalling his memories as the Demon Prince, "Astamon wasn't always out of control like you saw, I used to be a lot like I am now, I ruled side by side with King Myotismon, but things changed when Rex began his war, no matter what we had thrown at Rex's armies, nothing worked, things only got worse when he took over the Metal Empire… we were helpless, losing Digimon by the hundreds, I became more and more desperate, it was then that I met… **him,"** Psychemon said, I could hear his voice drip with venom upon saying that last line, however "him" was, Psychemon clearly hated him, "His name was Lucemon, he claimed to be an ancient Digimon of great power, he told me he could give me the power I needed to save my kingdom," He explained.

He let another sigh escape his lips, as if very reluctant to continue, but he did so anyway, "I was desperate, afraid of what would become of my kingdom, I had no choice but to accept, I still remember the crocked grin that sprawled across Lucemon's face when I accepted, I should have known then and there that it was a mistake, but I was too blinded by my desire to save the Nightmare Soldiers," He said, "Lucemon took me to a secluded mountain top, and he produced a dark looking gear, "This will give you all the power you need" he said, like a fool I took it, I wanted to stop Rex, I needed to, but the second I took it, the thing flew from my hands, and into my chest," He explained. "Things are… hazy after that, but I came to my senses too late… as I held a dying Myotismon by the throat, he asked me why I did it, why I killed them all, I had slaughtered the entire village, and Myotismon died thinking I betrayed the Nightmare Soldiers, that whole ordeal combined with that dark, evil energy had sapped all my power and reverted me to Psychemon, which only allowed the guilt to worsen now that the dark energy wasn't in control, I did the only thing I could think of and ran," He said, choking on his words as his eyes began to flood with tears.

He powered through it though, continuing his story, "I was alone… afraid… not entirely sure what had happened, but I knew I could never return, even if I could explain what happened, I was still responsible for what had happened, I let my desperation destroy the very thing I was trying to protect, Astamon was now only a voice that constantly tried to coax me into killing more and more Digimon, eventually I got better at keeping it at bay, but the loneliness began to set in, but I knew I could never return to the Nightmare Soldiers, so I just kept walking… never stopping… until one day I had caught the attention of Rosemon, who saw how ragged and lonely I looked and offered me a job at her hotel, I thought maybe working for her would help me forget Astamon and start over again… but… you know how that turned out," He finally finished.

It took a minute for me to digest Psychemon's story, it certainly explained a lot, but yet at the same time, it didn't change how I felt about Psychemon, at least not as much as he thought it did, "Psychemon… what happened wasn't your fault, you just wanted to help your kingdom, and got taken advantage of by Lucemon," I said.

Psychemon however shook his head, "It doesn't matter! I still killed them! I still let it happen! How can you possibly say it wasn't my fault?! I should have known he was up to no good the second I saw him!" Psychemon said.

I began to stroke the top of his head in an effort to calm him down, "Psychemon, I meant what I said before, it doesn't matter who you change into, you'll still be my friend no matter what, what happened was horrible, but you shouldn't let it destroy you like this, I think it's time to move on from it… let it go," I said, Psychemon needed to move on, I understood why he felt guilty, he had let himself get swindled into a Faustian deal and slaughtered the very thing he was trying to protect. But lingering on it like he was wasn't healthy for him.

Psychemon nestled his head against my chest, his tears dampening my shirt, "I… I'll try…" He said between sobs, he then looked up at me, "Kate… thank you… for everything… I've never had a friend like you before…" He said.

I let a goofy grin cross my face, rubbing his little pelt wearing head, "You're welcome, someone needs to help keep that head of yours straight," I said, trying to get a little giggle out of him to help him feel a little better. However Psychemon only turned away, eyes closed, it was hard to read whether or not my attempt to make him feel better worked or not.

the rest of the night was quiet, Psychemon wasn't ready to face the others yet, so we stayed in the rest of the night, it only occurred to me now that is was difficult to tell day from night in this place, the Nightmare Soldier's territory was so dark and gloomy it always looked like night here.

But eventually, my tiredness set in and soon got the better of me, and soon found myself falling asleep…

* * *

I could tell Kate was asleep now from her soft snoring, she had been through a lot today, it was reassuring knowing now that my past hadn't changed her opinion on me at all, I guess that was what true friends were like, always there for you no matter what.

Confronting my past had been something I had been dreading since I first left the Nightmare Soldiers, I pushed so hard against coming here, but I knew even then that I was fighting an unwinnable battle, Rex needed to be stopped, and we had to go through here to get to him…

But… my past wasn't the only reason I was so reluctant to come here, it was just the biggest one…

The other reason? When Rex is finally dealt with, the evil destroyed and the Digital World safe once and for all from his tyranny… Kate will have no reason to want to stay here anymore… and she'll go home along with the other humans.

I had never realized it until Kate had brought me back from the clutches of Astamon, but after she not only saved me, but forgave me for what I had done… I realized how much I had needed a friend… a missing piece of my life I had been without for so long, someone to help me, to hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay, it was all I had ever wanted after leaving the Nightmare Soldiers and being so alone for so long… all I had wanted was a friend to help me through the storm… to remind me that I mattered...

I knew it was selfish of me to feel that way, Kate had a life in the human world, people that cared about her as much as she cared for them, it wasn't fair to her to keep her away from them just so **I** wouldn't be alone, but yet here I sit, fearing the moment I'd have to say goodbye to her… and go back to being alone again.

I heard the soft click of the door opening, it was Commandramon, "Psychemon, a word please?" He whispered to me, trying not to wake Kate up.

I hesitated for a minute, I was afraid Commandramon was about to kick me out of the group, and after what had happened, I didn't blame him one bit, I wasn't just a threat to Kate back there, I was a threat to everyone.

But I did as he asked, stepping out of the room and into the dark hallway, I couldn't see much apart from the little slivers of moonlight that slipped in through the windows, barely even able to make out Commandramon's form from the darkness. "Psychemon, I want to know everything about what happened to you earlier today, all of the details," He said with a stern coldness that I had grown to expect from the cyborg Digimon, but I could still pick out a hint of anger from his otherwise cold and robotic tone.

So I did as he asked, told him everything about my fall from grace, my struggles to contain Astamon, everything, all the while he just stood there and listened, Commandramon was a hard Digimon to read even in the best lighting conditions, always keeping a stone cold expression on his face, only breaking it when faced with the harshest emotion, so I didn't know if he was angry with me, or just wanted answers.

Eventually I finished my story, and Commandramon took a moment to process it before he uttered his response, "Psychemon, despite everything you did, I understand what it's like to have a darkness in you, to have a thousand dead Digimon on your conscience, I can't even begin to calculate how many innocent Digimon I've killed when I worked for the Digimon King and the D-Brigade," He said, in my own self pity I had forgotten that Commandramon used to work for the king, it was odd having someone sympathize with me over my crimes as Astamon, for so long I had thought myself the scum of the Digital World, "Psychemon I came here to tell you I don't think any less of you even after what happened, I don't know for sure how the others feel, but I want you to know I'm still in your corner," He added.

But then his face grew grim, "But even so… I can't pretend like you aren't a threat, I'd rather not kill a comrade, especially one that's been through as much as you have, but if you ever become a threat on that level again, I **will** kill you, you're a friend Psychemon, but so are Jason and the others, and the safety of my tamer comes above all else," He said, the words didn't bother me as much as his tone, he said it with no hint of remorse of sympathy, plain and flatly as if explaining something simple, I could tell he would live up to that threat.

However he wasn't wrong, if I ever became a threat to my friends, if I ever **hurt** them, I doubt I'd want to live after that, I'd almost welcome Commandramon killing me on the spot, my friends had become very dear to me, especially Kate, if I hurt her… or worse **killed** her… I wouldn't be able to live with that… "I understand," I said, "I don't want to hurt my friends… Kate, Jason, Ethan, even Ross and Bridget, they're good people, and I don't want them to get hurt, so… I would want you to stop me if it ever came to that," I said.

Commandramon nodded, "I know you don't want to hurt them, it's why I won't do it unless I **have** to, you're not a bad Digimon Psychemon, I just want to make sure you stay that way," He said, I found a strange comfort in that, I didn't want to die, but if it came down to me or Kate… well… hopefully it'd never come down to that.

I decided to try changing the subject, change it to something else that had been bothering me, "Commandramon… what happens after we defeat Rex… and our human friends have to… leave?" I asked him.

Commandramon's expression faltered a little, clearly he wasn't any more fond of the idea than I was, but I needed a second opinion on this, "I don't know, I guess we just go on, I haven't given it much thought I have to admit, but we **are** getting close to ending this war," He admitted.

I could tell he was dodging the question, Commandramon didn't like the prospect of saying goodbye to Jason any more than I did to Kate, "I think we'll cross that bridge when we get there," He added, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

Commandramon left after that, I wasn't sure how to feel about our exchange, but I hoped that Commandramon would never have to live up to that threat, that I'd never give into Astamon's influence again, but who knows what will happen when we finally confront Rex….

I just hope… that we don't have to say goodbye too soon…

* * *

 **A/N-**

 **Well, that was a month in the making folks hope it was worth it.**

 **I'm so sorry I took that long, I got hit with the writer's block again, and decided to take some time off from the story to recover a little.**

 **I'm planning on posting two chapters instead of one in order to make up for the wait, I'll try not to take such a hiatus again… knock on wood.**

 **I'm going to finish this damn story even if it kills me! Which it actually might… it is giving me funny looks while holding a bloody knife… should probably be a bit more concerned about that… meh.**


	22. Confrontation

**Chapter 22: Confrontation**

* * *

I woke up to the sounds of knocking on my door, before I could even get out of bed, Psychemon rushed to open the door, it was Jason and Commandramon, I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes, "Hey Kate," Jason greeted, "I was going to let you sleep in a little, you know… after the day you'd had, but Commandramon here insisted I needed everyone up and going," He said, shooting a look at Commandramon.

Commandramon looked to his partner, "We need all of our troops ready for the attack on Rex's castle Jason, sleep is a privilege not a right," He said, I would have even said he did so with a hint of sarcasm had I thought him capable of it.

I slowly got out of my bed, stretching a little before following Jason out of the inn, there the other three tamers and their respective Digimon stood waiting for us, "About time Kate decided to join us," Bridget said.

I just rolled my eyes before taking a good look around, it seemed every Digimon in this small village had decided to join us on this attack, some even carried flags baring what I assumed was the Nightmare Soldier's crest, Karatenmon approached us, "Everyone's ready, my troops will buy you guys time to confront the king," He said.

It was as much of a plan as I'd expected really, it felt so weird being so close to ending this… it was something I hadn't really even thought about until now, I couldn't help but turn my eyes to Psychemon, who was clearly avoiding making eye contact with the other Nightmare Soldiers, I had grown quite fond of Psychemon over this adventure, he was almost like a little brother to me at this point, the thought we'd soon be parting ways bothered me a little, but we had to stop Rex, and I did have a life waiting for me back home.

I put the thought out of my head for now, I needed to focus on Rex, I doubted we'd be able to just waltz into his castle and beat the crap out of him, no we'd have to fight our way in, but we'd overcome it just like everything else.

Everyone then began their march towards Rex's castle, it was weird having an entire army behind us, the sounds of their marching feet constantly reminding us of their presence, I tried my best not to let the pressure get to me, I was about to go to war, and I was still the weakest link here, I couldn't Digivolve Psychemon, and after the whole Astamon thing I wasn't sure I even **wanted** to Digivolve him again, I hated being the weak one of the group, I had always prided myself on being self reliant, but everything I had known about life had gone out the window the second we came to this insane world.

After a little bit of walking, I began to notice something, where **were** Rex's troops? Were we that far out from Rex's controlled territory? Or where they seriously not expecting us? All I could see were empty villages, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was unsettling to say the least, "Where is everyone?" I asked no one in particular.

Bridget looked around a bit, "We're definitely in Rex's territory, I remember walking through here several times while I served him, this isn't right, there should be guards everywhere," She said, this only making me feel more anxious, if anyone would know about Rex's territory, it's Bridget, and if **she** found it off, something was seriously wrong.

Suddenly a figure approached, it was clearly female, but also clearly not human as her arms were unnaturally long, her left arm in particular was malformed and twisted, her body was covered in tight black leather that was torn in some places revealing her ghastly white complexion.

The woman crossed her arms, "Well well, isn't **this** a treat? The Digidestined aligned with Karatenmon's little freedom fighters, is this really how desperate you've gotten little birdie? Relaying on humans to do your grunt work?" She mocked.

Karatenmon moved to the front of the group, "LadyDevimon, still acting as one of the Digimon King's pawns I see," He said, "I hope it was worth betraying your own people just to be a lap dog to that mad king," He added with venom in his voice, I could see him moving his hands over his swords, as if expecting her to suddenly launch an attack.

LadyDevimon let out a dry cackle, "Betrayed them? I simply saw the writing on the wall bird brain, Rex can't be stopped, everyone in the Digital World knows that, I **saved** our people! While **you** sentenced the rest to their deaths! So who's the real traitor here?" She snapped back. She then turned her attention to us, most notably Psychemon, "And what's this now? Oh this **is** a treat! The once great Demon Prince Astamon seems to have settled for being a pet to this gaudy little gutter trash girl," She laughed.

Gutter trash?! The hell does she have any room to talk about looking trashy? "Well at least I'm not deformed," I said as a come back, but LadyDevimon simply laughed it off, like a stereotypical mean girl.

LadyDevimon then suddenly appeared right in front of me, so quickly I couldn't even jump back in surprise before she grabbed me by the throat, "Well aren't we the little spitfire? I **do** love someone with spirit! It makes it all the more fun when I **crush** them!" She said, beginning to squeeze, all I could do was struggle for air, her grip was like a vice, slowly closing on my throat.

However, "CROW SWORDS!" Suddenly LadyDevimon's arm was slashed, the surprise and pain enough to force her to let me go, causing me to fall to the ground, Karatenmon stood in front of me, "Picking on defenseless humans, you really haven't changed at all LadyDevimon," He said, did he have to use the word "defenseless"? As If I were a wilting flower, unable to stand on her own two feet.

LadyDevimon clasped her slashed arm, "So… even after Astamon tried to kill us all, you still serve him blindly, protecting his little pet human," She mocked.

Karatenmon braced his swords, "I am sworn to protect the prince, and that extends to his tamer, it's called loyalty, you should try it some time," He said.

The other tamers began their Digivolution sequences, all except me… for obvious reasons, LadyDevimon however, wasn't intimidated despite being grossly outnumbered, "Oh isn't this precious, you can Digivolve your pets, well… all except **one** of you," She said giving me a snide look, "But do you really think I'd come here alone?" She added before suddenly Digimon of all kinds began to spring from seemingly nowhere! There had to be thousands of them! Karatenmon looked to us, "GO! We'll handle LadyDevimon and her minions! You all need to take down the king!" He said.

Jason didn't like this plan, "No way! We can't just abandon you guys!" He objected, but Karatenmon was clearly not willing to hear it, as he just charged LadyDevimon.

Bridget wasted no time, hopping on Okamimon's back, "Follow me, I know where he's probably hiding," She said. Jason was clearly hesitant, but realized he was outnumbered here, getting on Tankdramon, who wheeled him in Okamimon's direction.

The others followed suit, one by one, however, Psychemon couldn't help but look back at his friend Karatenmon, who was currently engaged in battle with LadyDevimon, I felt horrible about leaving him and the other Nightmare Soldiers to the mercy of Rex's army, but there was nothing I could do… I was after all, the weakest link…

I heard the sounds of large feet approach, "Come on Kate! Before Rex's cronies notice we're bailing!" Ethan said, I turned around to see him on Gaogamon, offering a hand up, Psychemon and I got on Gaogamon and ran off to follow the others, you know if you'd have told me a month ago I'd be riding into battle on the back of a giant blue dog wearing boxing gloves alongside a Canadian, I'd have called you crazy…

Gaogaomon was surprisingly fast for his size, catching up with Okamimon in no time flat, in fact the slowest of the group was Jason, Tankdramon, despite being a Digimon, was still a tank, and tanks weren't known for their blazing fast speeds. "So what are we going to do? Burst through the front door?" Ethan asked Bridget.

Bridget shook her head, "He'll have it guarded, Rex is always paranoid, there's a back entrance we can use, only his top generals know about it," She said, of course Rex's castle had a secret passageway, he needed to mark it off his list of villain cliches.

Speaking of cliché, Rex's castle was coming into view, and my god was it so stereotypical and evil I half expected lighting to strike it, I guess subtlety wasn't in Rex's vocabulary. However, oddly Bridget and Okamimon stopped suddenly, Gaogamon caught by surprise so much he had to scramble to stop his momentum. "What's going on? Why'd we stop?" Asked Gaogamon.

However, Okamimon said nothing, pressing his paw on a gathering of rocks, almost as if they were a key pad on a security system, suddenly the ground began to rumble and the ground began to part, revealing a tunnel, "I did say it was a **secret** back entrance," Bridget pointed out. Okamimon and her went into the tunnel, Gaogamon following suit with a quite audible growl.

The tunnel itself was pitch black, how **any** of his troops managed to traverse this tunnel was anyone's guess, however it didn't stay dark for long as Tankdramon apparently had headlights, because of course he did. "This tunnel is meant to be used by Rex's generals to escape into in emergencies, it has entrances from several points in the Digital World, this happens to be the only one I know of," Bridget began to explain.

You know, having one of Rex's generals as an ally was proving to be quite useful, even if Bridget was still a bit of a sour person overall. It wasn't long before we were met with a large wooden trap door, Bridget pushed it open and we all one by one managed to get through it, yes even Tankdramon somehow managed to get through, I never really thought about it that much, but Tankdramon's form was really inconvenient when you really stopped to think about it.

However it soon became clear we were not alone, "Well well, at last we meet face to face Digidestined," a gruff, but stern voice said, we all looked to see a human man walking down the stairs of the room, he was tall, his face showing signs of age, he looked to be in his early forties if I were to hazard a guess, he wore a long black trench coat with red studded straps all over, his eyes were a glowing, piercing red.

This had to be Rex, who else could it possibly be, "You children have really caused me quite a bit of trouble, cutting off the Metal Empire from me, invigorating the rebellion against me, and even turning my queen against me, but I'm afraid your little rebellion is at an end," He snarled.

Gaogamon bent down, letting us know he wanted us to get off, we all did so, "It's over Rex! Despite being the king you're still only human! You can't hope to beat us!" He said, you know… Gaogamon had a point, despite all his power, he was still just a human at the end of the day, this was probably going to be a very anticlimactic fight.

However, Rex just laughed, a loud, heavy cackle that echoed off the empty walls of the room, "Is **that** what you think? Did Bridget not tell you? I may look human, I may have even **been** human at one point, but what you see before you is purely digital, an avatar of sorts," He explained, "You see… three years ago, I was a wealthy business man, head to a technology firm Nexion Incorporated, we had contracts with businesses, military, I suppose you could say I was as powerful there as I am here," He added with a laugh. "Our biggest project was Project Lazarus, a system that would allow a human being to upload their own consciousness into data form, it would have revolutionized computing..." he added.

However his face suddenly grew grim, "But then… I was diagnosed with lung cancer, suddenly everything I had worked for began slipping from my hands, some envious higher ups decided to use this as an excuse to take MY company away! My life's work all stolen from me! So… I decided to use Project Lazarus to… save myself, my body lay dying in the real world as my consciousness existed in data form, my original intention was to use my data form to freeze Nexion Inc's assets and have the banks take the company right out from under those fools, but… when I created this avatar, I had somehow wound up here… in the Digital World," He explained.

Rex began to pace the room as he continued his story, "I was at first confused, I aimlessly wandered this odd and strange world, until I happened upon someone, he claimed he could sense my thirst for power, and offered to quench it, he told me if I merged with him, I could take the Digital World, and soon even the human world! Power unlimited! How could I refuse, so he and I became one! And that, my dear Digidestined, is why I allowed you to find me," He said.

Bridget seemed the most take aback by that last comment, which Rex seemed to find amusing, "Oh what? You thought you were being clever by using the back entrance Ms. Shuno? Please, a brain dead dog could have seen that coming," He said, his body began to glow with a dark, sinister energy, "And now… you all die," He said before his form began to change, almost as if Digivolving.

The energy subsided, revealing the form of what appeared to be a dark angel of some kind, his face was thin and young, almost like a fairy tale prince, he wore black clothing with golden trim that matched his long golden hair, he had several wings that jutted out of his back, half were white, feathered like an angle, the other half were black bat wings, I assumed this was the form of the Digimon Rex was talking about, the one he supposedly merged with.

But it seemed that Psychemon knew this Digimon, "Lucemon!" He blurted out in a mix of shock and horror. What are the odds? The evil Digimon Rex merged with was also the same one that turned Astamon into a monster!

Lucemon laughed, "It's good to see you haven't forgotten me Astamon, after all I was the one that made you into the monster that helped me take over the Nightmare Soldiers, you have my thanks," He said, god I wanted to punch his smug face, but I knew I wouldn't be able to even phase him.

Tankdramon suddenly readied his guns, "I've heard enough of this! We're going to stop you Lucemon! Right here! Right now!" He said before firing his many guns at him.

Each one hit it's mark, Lucemon not even trying to dodge them, but when the smoke from the explosions cleared, Lucemon was still standing there, mockingly brushing dust off his shoulder, "Cute, in a way I'm glad you've chosen to by defiant to the end, it's been a while since I've gotten to kill anything myself," He said.

Suddenly he cocked his fist back _**"PARADISE LOST PUNCH!"**_ He cried before connecting a huge uppercut to Tankdramon, sending him flying through the air, and crashing into the far wall, everyone in the room was in shock, Tankdramon was one of our most powerful Digimon, and Lucemon had basically taken him out in one shot, "Next," He said mockingly.

Gaogaomon launched himself at Lucemon, " _ **DOUBLE DASH CLAW!**_ " The attack did little more than annoy Lucemon, before Lucemon grabbed Gaogamon by the throat and slammed him into the ground, creating a giant crater, Gaogamon lay twitching unnervingly on the ground.

Lucemon let a laugh escape his lips, "Is this seriously the best you can do? I'm quite disappointed, I thought you'd at least put up a fight!" He mocked, my heart began to race, we were grossly outmatched here! It was beginning to look like death was less a possibility and more an inevitability!

Aquilamon was next, as he launched his own attack " _ **GLIDE HORN!**_ " The bird dive bombed horn first at Lucemon, who simply caught his horn in his right hand, then delivering a hard gut punch to the avian Digimon and tossing him aside like garbage.

Okamimon didn't even wait as he launched his fire disc attack at Lucemon, who deflected it with a simple back hand, "To think I let you become my second in command," Lucemon scoffed before hitting Okamimon with a rather graceful roundhouse kick to the dome, and with that, me and Psychemon were the only ones left standing. "And then there was one, the weakest link..." He mused.

I was terrified, more terrified than I had ever been in my life, this horrible looming figure that had every intention of killing me where I stood, and Psychemon helpless to stop it, but he stood between me and Lucemon regardless, "Oh please Psychemon, not even your little friends could stop me, what hope do **you** have?" He said.

Psychemon stood his ground though, a spark beginning to form from his magenta horn, "I don't care if I'm the weakest Digimon here! I won't sit here and let you hurt my friends!" He said, " _ **COLORFUL SPARKLE!**_ " He cried as the electricity from his horn fired at Lucemon, the spark harmlessly bouncing off the Digimon King's head.

Lucemon grew a sly smirk, "Tell my Psychemon, how **does** it feel to be the reason I was able to take your faction over? To have so much blood on your hands?" He said, Psychemon was beginning to lose confidence, as he began to shrink inwards, "You've become such a pathetic little creature since we last met, whimpering and trembling like a scolded child, a former demon prince reduced to nothing more than a lost child desperate for approval, too weak to even defend his worthless tamer," He mocked.

I felt my fear slowly being replaced with anger, this bastard was mocking Psychemon for something **he** did to him! "And who's the bastard that did that to him? You took advantage of his desperation to save his people! If anything that blood is on **your** hands not his!" I yelled, Psychemon was the victim here! Just another life among millions ruined by this heartless bastard!

Lucemon raised an eyebrow, "Semantics at best, I merely provided the power he asked from me, it's not my fault he became overwhelmed by it," He corrected me, this son of a bitch! I hated the Digimon King from the second I had heard about him, but now… every fiber of my being wanted him to pay for what he had done to Psychemon, the Digital World, my friends, everything!

But I knew what would happen if I let my anger get the best of me, I couldn't do that to Psychemon again, even if this jackass deserved it, I wouldn't let him get the better of me like that, "I think I've finally figured out what kind of person you are, ever since I first heard of you, I had wondered what would drive someone to cause this much pain to so many Digimon, heartlessly killing millions just to gain power, but now… I know… there's just… nothing inside you… you're incapable of feeling remorse of guilt, you're just empty… hateful," I said.

Lucemon seemed unfazed by my words, but I continued anyways, "You're just a heartless monster, devoid of love, caring, or even guilt, but me on the other hand, I have a whole world counting on me, and I care enough to at least **try** to help them, show them the love and care you've denied them with your heartless war! Even if Psychemon and I are too weak to stop you, we'll try anyway! I won't give up! Because my love for my friends is all the strength I need to stand and fight!" I said, I didn't even know where this all came from, some burning passion inside me just sort of burst forward.

I felt a warmth from the pocket my Digivice sat in, I instinctively removed it from my pocket, "Digispirit! FULL CHARGE!" I cried out, the rush of Digi-Spirit was exhilarating, almost like a rush of adrenaline…

Psychemon began to glow, changing form, I knew I should probably be concerned about this, but something within me was telling me it was different this time, despite the fact the form he was taking was clearly Astamon given the shape, "Psychemon warp Digivolve too.. ASTAMON!" He cried out confirming he was indeed retaking the form of the demon prince.

When the light subsided, Astamon stood proud and firm, I felt a nervous tinge in my heart, fearing I had once again unleashed the out of control Astamon onto the world once more, but yet… the look on his face wasn't the wild, violent look he had last time, he looked down at me "I… I'm on control? How?" He questioned, had I just… cured him? How?

Even Lucemon seemed stunned by this, "Impossible! My dark energy should have completely corrupted that form!" He said, now I was feeling a little more confident, Lucemon seemed legitimately worried by the fact Astamon was now completely free of his influence.

Astamon twirled his tommygun in his hand, "I guess Kate's spirit is stronger than your evil magic Lucemon, sucks for you," He said before he began to fire at him, the bullets causing the evil Digimon to stumble backwards and into a wall.

Lucemon however, recovered quickly, answering back with a hard right hook, "Don't get cocky! I'm still far more powerful than you!" He snarled back, the two began to exchange blows, it was quite the confidence boost to see my partner being the one to actually stand toe to toe with Lucemon after how effortlessly he had been manhandling the others, I might actually **do** this!

It was clear that Astamon was beginning to get the upper hand, as he hit Lucemon with a huge roundhouse kick, knocking him through the door and into the throne room. "Not so confident now that you've met someone stronger than you huh your Majesty?" Astamon said, even mockingly bowing to him, it seemed Astamon still had that confident arrogance that he had when he was out of control, it was still alien seeing Psychemon act like that, but it was less upsetting knowing he was still in the driver's seat.

Lucemon was clearly furious, as he had a crazed look on his face that showed he was indeed becoming quite unraveled, "You'll pay for this insult! I am the most powerful Digimon in the Digital World! You cannot defeat me!" He yelled, words that rang hollow as he was the one hunched over in pain right now.

The two began to exchange blows again, both were starting to show signs of wear as the beatings they gave one another began to take their toll, however, " _ **MAVERICK!**_ " Astamon said as he delivered the mother of all high kicks, nailing Lucemon right in the temple, causing his legs to buckle from under him, ironically falling right into his throne, defeated.

Astamon panted a bit, clearly worn from his fight, before lifting his tommy gun, "Now… to make sure you **never** hurt anyone again!" He said before pressing it right against the Digimon King's forehead, but before he could execute Lucemon another figure suddenly interfered, tossing Astamon aside.

It at first glance was a human woman, but it was clear this was another Digimon, she was adorned in a purple feudal Japanese robe over a black skintight cat suit, her hair was done up in a similar Japanese style but with a clear demonic twist, she wore a confident face, "Now now, I can't have you kill Lord Lucemon just yet," She said before turning to me, "You humans are becoming more trouble than your worth, don't think you've won yet little girl," She said before grabbing Lucemon's unconscious body and vanishing in a black mist.

Suddenly I felt my body give in, falling to my knees in exhaustion, something had taken all my energy, but I didn't hit the ground as Astamon quickly caught me, "You okay Kate?" He asked me. I gave him a weak nod and he scooped me up, carrying me back to the room the others were in.

The others were carrying their no de-digivolved Digimon, they were all of course shocked to see Astamon carrying me, "It's okay guys, I'm still me, Kate got rid of Lucemon's corruption when she unlocked her Digi-Spirit," He explained.

Thankfully the others believed him, "So… what happened to Lucemon? Is he dead?" Ethan asked.

However Astamon shook his head, "No, some woman came and teleported him away before I could finish him," He explained. Everyone let out an annoyed groan, knowing our battle wasn't over yet, who **was** that woman anyway? I had a feeling we'd find out eventually…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

* * *

My eyes weakly opened, my body was hurting from head to toe, how the hell was Astamon able to **beat** me? Was the power of that girl really enough for him to overpower me? I looked at my hand to see I was Rex again, but the surroundings I found myself in where completely unfamiliar, a dark, dank cave from the looks of it.

"Well well, look who's finally awake,"

I quickly turned my head to see a woman standing before me, the name "Lilithmon" suddenly pinged in the back of my head, letting me know this was one of Lucemon's cohorts, "I must say… LordLucemon has excellent taste in men," she mused, I was going to pretend I didn't just hear that.

I decided to cut right to the chase, "Where am I?" I asked, my head was throbbing, that last kick to the head had really done a number on my head, it felt like I had been hit by a truck.

Lilithmon helped me to my feet, "You're in the darkest recesses of the Digital World, the Cave of Darkness as we like to call it," She explained, "It seems our plans to conquer the Digital World have failed," She added with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "So now it's time for plan B" she said before leading me down a tunnel.

The demon woman lead me to a room with a glowing blue crystal in it's center, circling the room where several other Digimon, who Lucemon had proceeded to hint at me where his fellow Demon Lords, "What is… Plan B?" I asked.

Lilithmon grew a wicked smirk, "Well if the human world insists on interfering with our plans, I think it's time we struck **it** directly," She said, it didn't take a genius to understand what she meant.

The crystal then showed an image to Earth, "You mean take it over?" I asked, it made sense, if I couldn't have the Digital World, the real one would have to suffice.

Lilithmon let out a small giggle, "Why not strike the Digidestined right where it hurts? Destroy everything they care for, and teach them what happens when you interfere with the great Demon Lords?" She said.

I thought about it, I had little attachment to the human world anymore, a world that had spurned me so, taken everything from me, twice! "How do we get there?" I asked.

Lilithmon's eyes lit up, excited I was going along with her plan, "I have a plan in place, but you need to regain your power, me and the other demon lords will take care of the human world until you can claim your place as it's supreme ruler," She said.

The thought of being sidelined like this insulted me a little, but I knew I was in no condition for conquest right now, so I agreed, once those foolish children see what is waiting for them back home… they'll wish they had never interfered with the Digimon King…

* * *

 **A/N: Oh noez! It seems Rex has decided to shift his evil intentions to the real world! What is Lilithmon's plan to get there? Will our heroes be able to stop them? Find out whenever I decide to update this story again…**


	23. War Comes Home

**Chapter 23: War Comes Home**

* * *

We all left Rex's castle after that, it was hard to get used to having Astamon with us after he… ya know… tried to kill us last time? But it seemed Kate had somehow managed to get him under control, and he managed to beat Lucemon so I can't say I'm that upset really.

We met the Nightmare Soldiers forces outside, they had somehow managed to win their fight with their former faction mates, Karatenmon approached us, "So… is it done? Is the king dead?" He asked.

Astamon however shook his head, "He escaped at the last minute, but I think it's safe to say we've won back our territory," He said, Karatenmon despite being disappointed that the king had escaped, seemed satisfied they were at least able to reclaim their faction, as he went to inform everyone of the good news.

All of us Digidestined gathered in a circle, "Now what?" Ethan asked, but this time, I had no clue how to answer, what **do** we do now? Yeah the Digimon King was still out there somewhere, but we had no clue where to even begin to look.

Ross crossed his arms, "From the looks of things, it seems like we're done here, the Digimon King has no kingdom, no army, he may still be alive but he's pretty toothless now," Said Ross.

I didn't know how to feel about that to be honest, I should be relieved shouldn't I? We managed to overthrow the Digimon King, save the Digital World, and managed to get everyone through it alive to boot. But… something didn't seem… right. I felt empty, like I hadn't really accomplished anything.

It was clear the others felt the same given their faces, "Maybe we should head back to the rebel camp? Get Kenatrousmon's take," Suggested Kate, "Besides he might be our only way back to the real world," She added.

It was about a good a plan as any, to be honest it felt so anticlimactic to come all this way just to scare the Digimon King off his throne, but what else was there to do? So with that we said our goodbyes to the Nightmare Soldiers, and began the long trek back to Kentarousmon's camp.

The walk was awkward, silent, it still didn't feel like we had just saved the Digital World, it felt more like we had just run an errand and were headed back home, it was hard not to feel disappointed, I guess being a gamer I expected this huge final boss fight with the Digimon King, complete with multiple forms and dramatic god choirs, but instead, we got this. Oh well, at least I'm not dead right?

Soon the day gave way to nightfall, we all set up camp in the middle of the forest, we had all earned a little rest after overthrowing a mad king and all, it was still weird using the camping gear we'd gotten from Toyland, but since Datamon was dead and the Digimon King wasn't really a king anymore, it was kinda moot now wasn't it? "Jason, permission to speak?" Commandramon suddenly said.

I had learned to just accept Commandramon treating me like his commanding officer, being casual wasn't exactly in his programming after all, "What's up?" I asked him, this was the first time Commandramon had spoken since we left the Nightmare Soldiers, I had no clue what could have been going on in that cybernetic mind of his right now.

"With the mission complete sir, does that mean you're going to be returning to the real world?" He asked me, I noticed a faint hint of sadness in his voice, it was only now that it dawned on me that my adventures with Commandramon were basically over, after we went back to the rebel camp we'd probably be saying goodbye to our Digimon partners for good, I doubt being from completely different realities we'd be seeing each other much after that.

The idea made me a bit sad, over the course of our little adventure Commandramon had sort of become one of my best friends, sure I didn't have much in the way of friends before this little vacation to the Digital World, but still, it was hard to process not seeing him again, "I guess so," I said, not hiding how depressed I was about it very well.

Commandramon looked off sadly to the side, you could almost hear his heart breaking, "Oh… I see," He said, it seemed he felt the same way I did, just as unwilling to say goodbye as I was, "But… if that's the case… it was a pleasure serving with you Jason," He said with a small smile, but I could tell that hurt for him to say.

All I could do was nod, it wasn't just Commandramon I was upset about having to say goodbye to, everyone else in our little group had become almost like family over the course of this crazy little adventure of ours, and since everyone here was from different countries, I doubted I'd be seeing much of them after this either, maybe Ethan if I were lucky, it was a painful pill to swallow, but we all had our places to be, our own lives to return to.

It only dawned on me now that I hadn't thought much of my life back home, too busy worrying about dying or saving this bizarre world I found myself in. I wonder how long I'd been gone? Did this world even run off similar time as my own? Or was this like Narnia rules where it wouldn't have even been a minute? I personally hoped it was the latter, I doubted I'd ever be able to come up with a good enough explanation for **this** long of an absence.

"Jason, you never told me much about your life in the real world,"

I was suddenly pulled from my introspection by Commandramon, he was right, I'd never really told him about my life before the Digital World, "Well, there really isn't much to talk about, I was just some comic geek with a dead end job, living with his mother and little brother," I said.

Commandramon sat himself down, "You miss them? Your mother and brother I mean," He asked me, I doubted Commandramon knew much about family, being a cyborg literally built in a factory, but he seemed genuinely curious.

I sat myself down next to him, "Sometimes, the three of us had always been close since… losing dad, but there were times where they drove me nuts, especially Shaun. But you know… they're my family, and I wouldn't trade them for the world," I explained.

Commandramon nodded, "It must be nice… having a family to go back to, I don't know what I'm going to do after you and the other humans go back home," He said, another thing I hadn't really thought about until now, what **was** he going to do after I left? He was basically a rouge Commandramon designed to serve an empire that no longer existed.

I sighed, "I'm sure you'll figure something out, I'd bring you home with me if I could, but I doubt I'd ever be able to explain you to my mom, she won't even let us have a dog, let alone a cybernetic soldier dinosaur," I said, and I meant it too, I wouldn't mind bringing him with me, but I knew better, I knew his place was in the Digital World, as mine was in the real world.

Commandramon looked down at the ground, "I understand, but part of me just… wishes you didn't have to go, that **this** didn't have to end, it was nice you know, having friends, finally being treated like my own Digimon instead of just a mindless machine," He said, I could swear he was trying to fight back tears, Commandramon hadn't exactly struck me as a Digimon who could cry, but it was hard to deny that looking at him right now.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, "I'd be lying if I didn't feel the same way, but… we all have lives beyond this," I said, trying my best to be a sympathetic friend, but not exactly knowing how to cheer him up from something I myself was feeling.

However Commandramon just sort of looked away, "All except me," He said before getting up and walking away, I wanted to go after him, but I knew it would probably be better to let him settle this on his own.

I heard footsteps approach, "What's up with him?" Bridget asked me, I doubted Bridget of all people would be able to help me out here, she never really struck me as the type of person you confided in when you were blue.

I sighed, "Commandramon's not taking our inevitable departure well," I tried to explain, I didn't know what she'd think, but she did work with Commandramon before, so maybe she'd know something about them I didn't.

Bridget shook her head, "No wonder, he's got nothing to go back to unlike the rest of us, his unit is in shambles, his creator dead, I doubt the Metal Empire will be able to recover like the Nightmare Soldiers," She said. Great, thanks Bridget, now I feel **worse**. "Don't worry about it, he'll figure it out," She said before walking off.

Yeah I don't think that was as helpful as she thought it was, what was I going to do? It didn't feel right to leave him with no place in the world, but I couldn't spend the rest of my life here either, and even if I could, well we would just have the same problem only with me along for the ride. I hoped that we'd figure something out before leaving, the last thing I wanted was to leave Commandramon with nothing left to live for… he deserved better.

The rest of the night came and went, the was a somber air that hung over all of us, Commandramon didn't so much as say a peep the whole night, just sort of sadly staring into space as the rest of us talked, only making me worry about him even more. It was definitely taking it's tole on me, because I knew there was nothing I could do for him, I was powerless, even after saving an entire world I still found myself unable to help a friend.

I didn't feel like I'd just completed a great quest, I felt like a jerk who was about to abandon a friend to a life with no meaning or purpose, to aimlessly roam the Digital World with no place to call home. It was a happy ending for everyone except him, and that was so messed up.

Suffice to say, sleeping that night was a tall order, my mind was swirling with guilt over my Digimon partner's ultimate fate, a guilt that would probably haunt me to my dying day, as I'd probably never know if he ever found a place in the Digital World.

But eventually, I did manage to fall asleep, crippling guilt could only keep you awake so long after all…

* * *

 _ **Morning…**_

* * *

I woke up feeling just as bad as I had felt when asleep, I didn't even really want to get up, but I knew I had to, I had to face the inevitable, so I got up, Commandramon was already gone, he always did manage to get up before me, I didn't even want to think about what kind of mood he was in right now.

I left the tent to find everyone packing up the camping supplies, the somber mood still existed, no one had even the slightest smile on their face, looking at us, you'd never think we had just saved the Digital World, I think it was clear no one in the group was looking forward to saying goodbye to our Digimon friends.

I looked to see Commandramon helping everyone pack up the supplies, his expression was blank, withdrawn, I doubted he felt any better than he did last night, but at least he was keeping himself occupied… god I felt like such a jerk for leaving him like this, but it's not like I had a choice.

However, my inner self loathing was put on hold when a figure emerged from the woods, he was some kind of blue lizard creature in golden armor, he seemed relieved to see us, "Finally! I thought I was never going to find you," He said, bending over to catch his breath.

No one in the camp knew what to make of this, who was this guy? And why was he looking for us? Was he here to send us back home? God I hope not, I don't think I was ready to go yet. The gold clad Digimon stood up, "Digidestined, forgive me for intruding, but I have an urgent message from the head Royal Knight Omnimon! Something that may be of great concern to you all," He said.

It seemed our visitor had connections to the Royal Knights, but something didn't seem to add up, why did he sound like he was about to tell us the sky was falling? Shouldn't he be a bit more… ya know… upbeat? We **did** just defeat the Digimon King after all, sure he wasn't **dead** , but it wasn't like he had any sway over the Digital World anymore.

I decided to be the one to ask the important question, "What's going on? What message?" I asked, I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the answer, but whatever this message was, it had to be important.

The Digimon took a moment before answering, "We believe the Digimon King is about to attack the real world," He said, cutting right to the point.

All of us were taken back by this revelation, how the **hell** did we not think of this?! The Digimon King was a human after all… kinda, so it's not like he didn't know of the human world, and we really should have known better than to think he would have stayed quiet for long.

Bridget was the first to speak after this revelation, "How? Rex couldn't bring his digital form into the real world before," She said, and if anyone here knew that for sure, it was Bridget.

The Digimon shook his head, "It seems there was much about the Digimon King even we didn't know, come… Omnimon will explain," He said, he then suddenly produced some kind of glowing orb from his armor, tossing it like a grenade to the ground where some kind of portal appeared in it's place.

Ross rolled his eyes, "Well, that would have been nice to have during our little adventure," He commented, but no one seemed to care as we all just sort of followed the armored Digimon through the portal.

We soon found ourselves in a pure white void, but we weren't alone, as we were met with a group of knight like Digimon, I recognized Gallentmon and Kentarousmon from the group, these had to be the Royal Knights.

One knight stood in front of the rest, dressed in white armor, his "hands" were simply heads attached to it's rather thin arms, one was of an orange dinosaur like creature, the other a blue wolf, it didn't take much to realize this had to be that Omnimon guy our golden friend had mentioned.

Omnimon approached us, "Thank you Magnamon," He said to his friend, finally giving the golden armored Digimon a name. He then turned to us, "I apologize for having to summon you all on such short notice after what must have been a grueling battle with the Digimon King," He said. "But as I'm sure Magnamon explained before bringing you here, this is a matter of grave importance," He said.

No kidding, "He said that the Digimon King was about to attack our world, is that true?" I asked, I needed to confirm this, I was hoping against hope he would say no, I didn't want to leave Commandramon, but I also didn't want my family along with the rest of my world to be sucked into this whole thing.

But, to my dismay, Omnimon nodded, "I'm afraid so Jason, I understand your worry, it was **never** our intention to bring our war to your world, but it seems that there are more things at play here than any of us could imagine," He said.

Kate decided to step forward, "Does this have anything to do with that woman I saw when we beat Lucemon? The one who took him away?" She asked.

Omnimon, again, nodded, "That was more than likely Lilithmon, one of the seven Demon Lords," He said, Demon Lords? Who the hell where the Demon Lords?! And why were we never told about them until **now**?! "The Demon Lords were a group of evil Digimon far more powerful than any ordinary Mega level Digimon in the Digital World, once long ago, before any of you were even born, they attempted to overthrow King Yggdrasil, and take the Digital World for themselves, they were lead by Lucemon, by far the most powerful among them, who sought the power Yggdrasil had over the Digital World," He began to explain, "But we Royal Knights managed to defeat them, and stop them from destroying the King before it was too late," He added.

Kentarousmon then stepped forward, "Or so we thought, we thought we had managed to seal them away in the deepest, darkest depths of the Digital World, never to torment the Digital World again. But it seems that Lucemon had somehow managed to escape, and somehow merged with Rex Nexion to become the Digimon King," He said.

Ross decided to ask his own question, "How do you know they're attacking the human world? Or if they're even free?" He asked, it was a good question, how **did** they know any of this was happening?

Gallentmon decided to be the one to answer that question, "King Yggdrasil sensed them breaking through the barriers between the worlds, and he is rarely wrong," He said, normally I'd find that explanation to be a bit much, but considering how the Digital World seemed to scoff in the face of logic, I'd buy anything at that point.

Omnimon stepped forward, "Their goals in your world we do not know, but whatever they may be must not be allowed to come to fruition! Which is why we must return you to your world with your Digimon partners so you can work to stop this invasion before it begins," He said.

Well good news was I didn't have to go home worrying about Commandramon anymore, bad news was I instead had to worry about everyone and everything I had ever cared about in the real world! I couldn't even begin to guess what these Demon Lord dudes were hoping to gain from wrecking the real world, but I wasn't about to sit there and watch it happen either!

Ethan however, "Wait… you said you guys stopped them before, why aren't you going there to stop them?" He asked, it was a fair point sure, but I'd rather **not** sit on the sidelines hoping for someone else to save everything I held dear!

Omnimon shook his head, "Because we can't go through the barrier, Digimon of our power are nearly impossible to get through the barrier that separates our worlds, and we must make sure the Digital World is protected, we don't know what they plan for it or your own world," He explained.

Omnimon then threw another one of those portal ball things onto the ground, "We return you to your world, where you were before we summoned you here, but I fear the rest will be on you, we wish you luck Digidestined," He said before the portal opened up before us.

One by one we each entered, god how the hell were we going to pull this off? We all lived in different countries! God where would we even begin to look for the Demon Lords? I doubted they would stay quiet for long, but still, this wasn't going to be a very fun return home…

* * *

 _ **Later…**_

* * *

My eyes opened, my vision was fuzzy but eventually returned to focus, I was met with a sight I didn't think I'd see for a long time, my own room, or to be more accurate, the **ceiling** of my room. Everything was exactly as I'd left it, my computer was still on, showing the usual desktop, the only thing that seemed different was that it was daylight now, making me wonder if everything before now had been a dream.

However one look to the unconscious Digimon laid next to me trashed that theory, he laid on the floor motionless apart from his rising and falling chest, letting me know he was still alive. I looked closer at my computer screen to check the date, I was shocked to see not even a day had passed since I had been dumped into the Digital World, well at least I wouldn't have to explain my absence to my mother.

I slowly got to my feet, no clue at all how to proceeded, I knew the looming threat of the Demon Lords was coming, I looked outside my bedroom window expecting to see Sanford **burning** only to find everything was perfectly peaceful, calm, and serene, I guess whatever horrors the Demon Lords wished to inflict upon our world hadn't materialized yet, or at least hadn't reached Maine yet.

I was startled by a sudden knocking on my door, "Jason? Honey it's nearly ten o'clock, you plan on sleeping all day or are you actually going to join your brother and I in the waking world?" Asked my mother from behind the bedroom door.

My heart began to race as I looked back to my still unconscious Digimon, if mom saw him she'd lose her marbles! I quickly rushed to Commandramon, and began to drag his unconscious body to my bedroom closet, god was he heavy! My heart nearly stopped when I heard the doorknob begin to turn, oh no... oh no please god no!

I quickly, and rather violently, shoved Commandramon into the closet, leaning against the door before my mother came into my room, "Jason? Honey you don't usually sleep in that late, something happen last night?" She asked me.

I felt like I was in a really bad sitcom right now, specifically that scene where I try to come up with a lame excuse and the canned audience laughs, but the thing was, my mother was smart, she'd know if I were hiding something, considering she was a reporter and it was her job to uncover the truth, I was kinda up a creak here, "Oh… you know… rough night at work, nothing big," I lied, I even did the stupid fake laugh, god I'm screwed.

And… yup she isn't buying it, as she gave me the much dreaded and feared "look", the "look" is what my brother and I called that look on her face when she wasn't buying a word that came out of our mouths, complete with hands on hips and raised eyebrow, "Why are you leaning against your closet door like that?" She asked me.

Oh god how could this get any worse? "Jason? Sir? Are you there? I can't see a thing here, is your world normally this dark?" I heard Commandramon's voice ask from behind the closet door, of course he had to wake up **now** right? God it was like this scene was ripped right out of a bad kids film! Mom would end up discovering Commandramon, and lose her mind, and then I'd learn some kind of lesson about honesty or something, and we'd close out on a cheesy eighties song as everyone laughed, and that, would be when I realized I had become Dennis the Menace.

Mom approached, "Jason Marcus Allen, you know better than to try to keep secrets from me, I uncover secrets for a living you know," She said, I was trying my best not to show fear, but was failing miserably. I've come face to face with powerful Digimon, fearsome overlords, and crazed hotel managers, but yet my mom was still the most frightening thing I've faced.

I had to think fast, "It's nothing mom really! I'm just… uh…" I began to fumble, this was **not** going well for me right now, my mind was drawing a complete blank, what would I even say? God I suck!

Suddenly I felt the closet door swing from behind me, sending me stumbling forward, Commandramon stumbling out like a drunk man out of the bathroom, it seemed that Commandramon didn't take too kindly to his confinement as he apparently had powered his way out, man was he strong!

There was about a minute of shocked silence as my mother and Commandramon shared frightened glances, I figured that Commandramon was beginning to realize a little too late why I had shoved him in my closet. "M… Ms. Allen I presume?" Commandramon said nervously.

Suddenly mom straight up punted Commandramon like a football! Catching the poor cyborg Digimon right in the jaw, sending him tumbling right back into the closet before she grabbed me by the shoulders "Get behind me Jason!" she said, oh man this had gone from bad to worse in a nanosecond! Forget the Demon Lords! My mom was about to take Commandramon down **for** them! Mom moved me behind her before grabbing one of my toy light sabers from the floor, activating it with that signature light saber sound, this situation couldn't be more ridiculous if it tried, a middle aged woman threatening a cybernetic Digimon with a plastic laser sword.

As poor Commandramon emerged once again from my closet he was instantly met with a few hard whacks upside the head from mom's plastic light saber, making a pathetic thunk noise every time the toy struck Commandramon's helmet as the cyborg tried to throw his arms up to defend himself, I doubted any of these blows hurt him any, but still. "Get the hell out of my son's closet you mutant freak!" She yelled as she continued to beat my Digimon with the toy weapon, the toy making light saber sounds every time it hit Commandramon only making this more ridiculous, you could almost hear Duel of the Fates playing as this incredibly stupid scene unfolded.

The force was clearly not with Commandramon in this situation, as he struggled to keep the plastic sword from bonking him on the head repeatedly, she even got him in the snout a few times. "Ma'am! Ma'am please! Stop it!… STOP IT!" He pleaded, only getting more smacks to the head for his trouble.

I had to stop this before she either broke my light saber, or my Digimon, "Mom! MOM! Stop it! It's cool! He's a friend! DUDE STOP!" I pleaded, trying to get the light saber out of my mom's hands, I hadn't even been back in the real world for ten minutes and everything has already descended into chaos! Worst… Digidestined… ever.

I finally managed to get the light saber out of her hands, she turned towards me, "Jason! What the **hell** is that thing?! And what is it doing in your closet?!" She snapped at me, god was this going to take a **lot** of explaining, an explanation which, would probably make me sound like a crazy person, but still.

I tossed the light saber aside, the toy making one last comical light saber sound as it hit the floor, "Okay… last night, I got this disc from some guy at work, when I inserted it into my computer, it sucked me into a parallel world, which is where **he's** from, and me and a group of other people with Digimon like him had to stop this guy, and now he's got a band of buddies who are trying to destroy and/or attack this world," I explained, it was an abridged version to say the least, but it was all I had.

My mom had the reaction you'd expect, giving me that look that you give to someone who just told you they just saw little green men, in her defense though, if you had told me the same thing about a month ago, I would have probably had the same reaction. She just sort of stared at me for an uncomfortably long time before turning towards Commandramon, giving him the same look.

Commandramon stood up, "What Jason is trying to say ma'am is that, I'm his Digimon partner, and we need to stop a group of evil Digimon before they attack your world," He said, putting it a bit more elegantly than I had, but it still sounded insane from an outside perspective.

Mom still seemed to be trying to process this, as she just sort of buried her face in her hands, "Oh god… I need to stop drinking before bed..." She said. Neither me nor Commandramon really knew how to proceed here, this had to be a **lot** to take in for her…

* * *

 **A/N- Well, that was a thing that happened, hopefully the other Digidestined's returns home will be a little less… insane.**


	24. Homecoming

**Chapter 24: Homecoming**

* * *

 _ **Dublin, Ireland…**_

* * *

My eyes sort of fluttered open as I awoke, I was met with the familiar ceiling of my room, I picked myself off the floor, seeing everything was as I left it that fateful night. I looked at my computer's desktop to see that it had only been a mere day since I had left for the Digital World.

"Hey Kate, what's this?"

I turned to see Psychemon had made a… discovery, in his hands he held one of my bras, he sort of stretched it in his hands like a child who had no idea he was holding a woman's undergarments, "Psychemon! Don't play with my bras!" I said, snatching it from his hands. I knew Psychemon had no idea what it was, so I wasn't **that** mad at him, he was just curious, but still… I didn't like people touching my undergarments… or...Digimon in this case.

Suddenly the door to my room burst open, "Kate? You okay? I heard you scream someone was touching your bra! I got the creep stick!" Said a voice I had longed to hear again since I had gone to the Digital World.

A girl came into the room, wearing her signature gray beanie over her teal dyed hair, a black sleeveless shirt with "Kung Fury" written on it in red lettering, black biker gloves, and baggy jeans, she held her "creep stick", which was really just a billy club, this was Sam Higgleson, my girlfriend.

It didn't take Sam long to notice Psychemon, who was really focused on that billy club she held in her hands, Sam then took a swing at him with it, "Kate what the f**k is that thing?!" She screamed, swinging at poor Psychemon with the club before he ran behind me, hiding like a frightened child.

I got to my feet, and without even thinking, wrapped my arms around Sam, god I had missed her so much during my little excursion in the Digital World, I was so glad to finally have her back. "Kate… you okay? You're never this clingy..." She asked me, clearly confused.

I quickly let go, "It's a long story Sam, let's just say I've had **quite** the night," I told her, more accurately, it's been quite a couple of **days** but I didn't want to add to her confusion anymore than I had already.

So I began to tell Sam everything, about the disc, the Digital World, the Digimon King, and the Demon Lords, to her credit, she seemed to believe me, I guess that was the kind of trust you built when in a relationship like ours.

Sam crossed her arms and huffed, "So… you have any idea where this Demon Lord guy is?" She asked me, it was weird having Sam in on this whole Digidestined thing, but I appreciated having her help none the less.

I shook my head, "No clue, just that they're here and that they're gonna do **something** ," I said, I hated not having a solid lead, the world wasn't exactly small, Lucemon could be anywhere! God what if we **never** found him? Or worse he destroyed the world before we even knew what was happening?!

Sam seemed to notice how stressed I was getting, as she put a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Hey, don't worry about it, we'll find them when we do, for now why don't you and your little friend take a breather eh?" She offered me.

I nodded, it **had** been a rough couple of days, I needed a moment to relax myself, I'm sure Psychemon felt the same way, he was always so easily stressed, and I doubt being swung at by Sam did him any favors either. We both joined Sam in the living room, sitting on the couch, Sam sort of cuddled up close, it was so nice having her with me, helping me through this.

Sam turned the TV on, I assumed she just wanted some background noise while we all tried to collect ourselves, "So… you said there were other people there? Other Digi-whatevers? Where are they now?" She asked me.

I shook my head, "I have no clue, they were all from different countries, the closest one to us would be Ross who was from the U.K," I said, you know, in hindsight, recruiting Digidestined from different parts of the world might not have been the best idea… but I doubted anyone could have seen these turn of events happening.

Sam nodded, "Then we'll start there, we can take a ferry," She suggested, even so it was still quite a drive, but I guess when the fate of the world is at stake, a little travel is a small concession to make.

But there was still one little issue, "Do we even have the money?" I asked, of course traveling the real world was much more difficult than the Digital World, in the real world, you needed money to travel.

Sam got up and left the room, after a few seconds she came back with a mason jar full of money, "I'd been saving up for a vacation anyway," She said, this was the first I'd heard of this, she must have been waiting to surprise me with it. "We should get packing, man I've always wanted to go on an adventure like this!" Sam said, she was so excited she looked like she was about to burst.

You'd never think the fate of the world was a concern by looking at her, even as we packed she treated it like we were going on vacation, but hey, at least we were making some form of progress, but reuniting with Ethan and Jason would be difficult, given they were all the way in North America, and I didn't even **know** where to begin to look for Bridget, but we'd cross that bridge when we got there…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **London Ontario, Canada**_

* * *

Ugh… did traveling between worlds have to be so painful? I had almost forgotten how unpleasant my trip to the Digital World had been, or rather, the immediate aftermath of it. I opened my eyes to see I was back in my room again, in the exact spot I was when I first left for the Digital World, my laptop still sat in my lap, the only thing out of place here was that Gaomon was passed out next to my bed.

I couldn't lie, it felt good to be back in boring, safe, London Ontario, just a nice sense of normalcy. Although I knew that wouldn't last long, as I remembered why I was here. The Demon Lords were out there somewhere, just waiting to start the world's destruction.

"Ethan? Where are we?"

I turned around to see Gaomon waking up, "My room," I told him flatly, Gaomon's eyes widened, as he looked at his surroundings, I imagine he must be having a similar feeling I had when I first came to the Digital World, stuck in an unfamiliar world he had no clue how to even grasp.

Gaomon then looked at me, "So… this is the real world? I admit… it's not what I expected," He commented. I don't know **what** he had expected quite frankly, the real world was for all tense and purposes, kinda dull, at least in comparison to the Digital World.

I got out of my bed, setting my laptop gently to the side, I knew I'd have to somehow find the others eventually, how the hell I was going to pull **that** off I had no clue. I didn't have a penny to my name, I had no car, not to mention my dad would probably lose his mind if I tried to leave Canada. Where would we even meet? We had no clue where the Demon Lords would even set up shop, they could be based in Kenya for all we know!

I guess the best thing to do for now was to just enjoy the downtime until the Demon Lords made themselves known. It's not like I had any other plan really, so I grabbed my phone off the end table, grabbed my skateboard, and decided to just skate around for a bit to unwind myself from the insane adventure I had been on for the past couple of days.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Norfolk England, UK...**_

* * *

My eyes opened to the familiar sight of my dingy old flat, I never thought I'd miss this run down old place, but I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder. I slowly sat up on the couch, my laptop sat in the same spot it had been when I was first whisked away on my ridiculous adventure, the date was oddly the same as when I first left, meaning time in the Digital World moved faster than in our world.

It was the middle of the night, the apartment was almost pitch black, the light from my laptop the only illumination in the room. I got up from the couch and slowly made my way to the light switch, with a simple flick, everything became brighter.

I could see now that everything was exactly as I'd left it, not a hair out of place. I know I should be relieved to finally be home, in a world I understood, but I knew in the back of my mind my little adventure was far from over, it just changed venues. Speaking of… where's Hawkmon?

I looked around the room, but saw no signs of my avian compatriot, did he not come with me? Because if he hadn't, fighting the Demon Lords was going to be even harder. I began to move around the flat, looking for any signs of Hawkmon.

It wasn't a big flat, so it wasn't like I'd have to cover much ground, however I began to hear strange noises coming from the kitchen, I slowly began to inch towards it, the kitchen was dark, I couldn't make anything out, I felt around the walls for a light switch, when I found it I flicked it on and instantly found out what was making those noises.

Right in the middle of the kitchen, I saw an overturned laundry basket sliding inch by inch across the floor "Hello? Is anyone there? I can't see," a familiar voice spoke from under the basket. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Hawkmon had somehow managed to get trapped under my laundry basket.

I'd best help him out, I walked over to my trapped partner and lifted the plastic bucket revealing Hawkmon was indeed under there, he took a moment to process being freed before turning his head towards me, "Oh… thanks Ross," He said with an embarrassed chuckle. Hawkmon began to look around, he had the face of a child who had just walked into a candy store, in wonder of my less than impressive home.

I guess to him it was an otherworldly wonder, every bit as weird as I had thought the Digital World had been. I guess to a Digimon, my dingy, murky old flat was like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. "I know it's not much, but it's all I can afford on my pay," I said.

Hawkmon just kept marveling at my kitchen, "So… this is really the real world?" He asked me.

I leaned myself against the kitchen counter, "Not the whole thing obviously, but yeah," I said simply, Hawkmon went right back to soaking in the sights, to be honest, it was kind of adorable how fascinated he was with something as simple as my home, but I knew the wonder would have to end at some point, the Demon Lords weren't going to stay quiet for long, but for now at least, we had some sort of quiet, some semblance of sanity to cling to before things began their inevitable turn to chaos…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Tokyo, Japan…**_

* * *

My eyes opened, they felt weak but said weakness soon passed, and I was met with the familiar sight of my bedroom, a sight I hadn't seen in **quite** some time, memories of my life before the Digital World began to flood my mind, most were uncomfortable memories…

The room itself was nothing all that special, I had been living here since I was eight, living with my grandfather in a simple Japanese apartment complex, it was weird being home after all that time I had spent in the Digital World, according to my computer, barely a week had passed since I left.

"Bridget,"

I jumped, Okamon's voice startling me more than I'd like to admit, I could see his golden eyes glowing slightly in the darkness, "We should begin our hunt for the Demon Lords, they won't stay quiet for long," He said.

I don't think Okamon quite got how things worked in the real world, it wasn't as simple as taking a stroll through the Digital World, getting around on Earth was much more difficult, hell I didn't even think reuniting with the other Digidestined would be feasible, they were all from different parts of the world, and I was the only Digidestined in Asia, in retrospect, plucking your Digidestined from all over the world was probably a really stupid idea in hindsight.

I stood up, "It's not that simple Okamon, they could be anywhere on Earth, we wouldn't know where to even begin to look," I said, but I knew I'd have to somehow find a way to rejoin my fellow Digidestined regardless of how difficult it would be. I knew Rex too well to think he would stay quiet for long. No he would strike as soon as he could, but where and how remained to be seen.

I walked out of my room, door clicking softly shut behind me, as predicted, my grandfather was fast asleep at the table in the dining room, a cup of tea left by his side, no doubt he'd noticed my absence, probably worried I'd ran away from home, it would be better if I didn't wake him, I didn't have time to try to explain my absence.

I simply grabbed a leather jacket off the rack and left through the front door, a walk through town would help me clear my head and form a game plan.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Unknown Area…**_

* * *

Rex seemed very weak, he was unable to even change back into Lucemon, and worse still, I had been watching the human world trying to formulate a plan of conquest only to discover the humans had managed to somehow get there **with** their Digimon, this would complicate things, but even at their strongest, their pet Digimon were considerably weaker than us.

But still, they were an unnecessary complication, they were separated right now, stuck in their respective territories, taking them down would be easy. "Are we ready to begin Lilithmon?" A voice sounded.

I turned to see Daemon enter the room, Daemon had been the most eager of the Demon Lords to invade the human world. Being the Demon Lord of Wrath he was absurdly violent, and very impatient. "Relax Daemon, we need to play this smart, and bide our time," I said.

Daemon sneered, "These humans are weaklings! I could crush a hundred of them with a single blow! What resistance could these creatures possibly serve that would warrant such caution?" He asked.

I swiftly grabbed Daemon by the throat, I could hear him gasping desperately for air, "Do **not** underestimate the humans Daemon, Lucemon did and look where that got **him** , if you value your life, you will stop questioning me and do what you're told!" I threatened him, I then released my grip, Daemon took several heavy breaths, despite his power, Daemon was very easily pacified. Despite his anger he was also easily frightened, making him quite easy to… discipline.

He got on one knee, "O… of course Lilithmon, I apologize, what are you planning?" He asked me, a marked improvement to his previous demeanor.

I looked to my magic crystal, the object of which I used to watch and study the human world, "We send a few grunts to each Digidestined's location, destroy them while they're still separated, **then** we can begin our invasion," I said, it saddened me to have to use grunts to destroy the Digidestined, I had hoped I would have been able to do it myself. But you know, business before pleasure...

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Ireland…**_

* * *

Sam and I had wasted no time in getting ready to go to Great Britain, I remembered Ross said he was from Norfolk, thankfully I had visited Britain before and knew a little about the area, but the issue was **getting** there, Sam had suggested we take a ferry there, thankfully it wasn't exactly a holiday type of day so there was plenty of room.

Psychemon was still trying to adjust to the real world, the concept of paying to travel still baffled him, and that's not even getting into explaining the concept of cars and buses to him. Sam had come up with the idea of explaining that he was my little cousin who liked to wear costumes, it was the best explanation either of us could come up with, he still got looks from people we passed by, but I didn't want to have to keep him cooped up in a suit case the whole time so I just had to make do. "Kate… everyone's staring at me," He whispered to me.

I patted his head, "Looking like you do it's no wonder, but it's better this than stuffing you on a suitcase right?" I said, Psychemon nodded, clearly not liking the idea of being stuck in a bag the whole trip.

Sam paid for our tickets and we all got on board, Psychemon had said he'd never been on a ship before, revealing that the Digital World had boats at least, I myself had only ridden on a ferry once, it was a trip to visit family in England when I was little.

However… about fifteen minutes into the trip, we had a problem. I happened a glance at Psychemon, who was looking quite pale, "Psychemon? You okay?" I asked him.

He weakly looked towards me, "I don't feel so good…" he said, oh god… he was getting sea sick wasn't he? I didn't even know Digimon **could** get sea sick! But it was obvious just by looking at him that he was about to throw up, oh god if he pukes on the deck of the ship…

I quickly scooped him up and held him against the rail of the ship so his head was hanging over it, and… inevitable happened, he lost his lunch all over the ocean below… oh god… gross... I could hear Sam laughing from behind me, apparently she found this quite humorous. "Your Digimon going to be alright Kate?" She asked me between giggles.

Psychemon merely groaned, still quite sea sick, "Kate… I don't think I like boats..." He said, oh this was going to be a **fun** trip wasn't it?

However… before we could enjoy more sea sickness related shenanigans, we heard a commotion come over the ferry, people all began to gather to one side of the boat. Curious, Sam and I both rushed over, Psychemon still in my arms, to see what the commotion was about.

Everyone was staring off the side at… something, there were too many people to see what it was, but I could hear them chattering about it.

"What do you think it is?"

"Is it the Loch Ness Monster?"

"That's in Scottland you moron!"

"Oh god it's headed right for us!"

That last one made me panic, I pushed myself through the crowd, I needed to know what it was, it **had** to be a Digimon, there was nothing else it could have been, what if it was one of the Demon Lords? I finally managed to get myself to a spot where I could see what was out there, and what I saw…

It was some kind of sea dragon covered in metallic armor, it's head ended in some kind of spout, like a giant water gun, a sharp blade on the top of it's snout like a horn, I took out my Digivice to scan it to see what I was up against.

 _ **MetalSeadramon**_

 _ **Level: Mega**_

 _ **Type: Cyborg**_

 _ **Attribute: Data**_

 _ **Family: Deep Savers**_

 _ **Attacks: River of Power, Hot Squeeze, Poseidon's Divide**_

 _ **MetalSeadramon is the final form of the Seadramon line, it's ChronDigizoid armor is nearly impenetrable, and it's swimming speed unmatched in the Digital World, it is a force to be reckoned with.**_

Well that's not good, the "impenetrable armor" part was the most troubling, that meant that taking this thing down was going to be really hard, if not impossible. But MetalSeadramon was clearly targeting the ferry, as it glided through the water like a speedboat, everyone began to panic and run away when it finally reached the ferry, "There's no where to run humans! You're all going to die here!" Said MetalSeadramon as he began to fire his nose... hose… thing… at the ferry, blasting several unfortunate travelers across the deck.

I looked to Psychemon, he was still out of it due to his sea sickness, god as if it wasn't bad enough right? "Kate we have to move before that thing fires at **us**!" Sam said, dragging me away by the arm.

Where the hell were we going to run? The ferry wasn't that big, and I doubt it was going to be able to withstand MetalSeadramon's attacks for long! "Where are you Digidestined?! SHOW YOURSELF! Or suffer the deaths of every human on this ship!" Cried MetalSeadramon, oh great, it was after **me** specifically, he must have been one of the Demon Lord's goons!

I took out my Digivice, I doubted Psychemon was in any condition to fight right now, but he was the only chance we had. It took a moment for the Digivolution process to trigger, but it eventually did.

" _ **Psychemon warp Digivolve to… ASTAMON!"**_

Astamon stumbled a little, clearly still a bit sick, "Don't worry Kate… I'm good," He tried to reassure me when he noticed my worried expression, "But right now, I gotta take this over grown snake down!" He added before launching himself off the boat right at MetalSeadramon. _**"MAVERICK!"**_

He delivered a powerful kick to the sea serpent, but Metal Seadramon barely flinched, that armor of his absorbing the blow, MetalSeadramon retaliated with a strong whip of his tail, sending him sailing into the boat, crashing through the walls of the cabin, causing the people inside to scatter.

MetalSeadramon wasn't done with the Demon Prince though, snagging him with his tail, "You really thought you could hurt **me**? My Digiziod armor can reflect any attack you throw at me!" He said before beginning to squeeze, Astamon cried out as his ribs were being crushed by the pressure… being dragged into the sea by his captor.

Sam and I could only watch as MetalSeadramon began to slowly kill Astamon, "F**k this! I'm not sitting here watching this!" Sam suddenly said before Running off, confused, I quickly followed, Sam was up to something I could tell.

We found the control room, the driver probably having fled before the battle began, Sam quickly took the wheel, it was then I realized what she was doing, she was going to try to ram Seadramon with the boat. "Are you crazy?!" I cried out, did she even know how to drive a boat?!

Sam however, was undeterred, "He said his armor could reflect any attack, let's see that son of a bitch deflect **this** ," She said as the ferry drew ever closer to MetalSeadramon who seemed completely oblivious to the ferry inching closer and closer to him… too wrapped up in Astamon's suffering.

However his glee turned to surprise and pain as the ship collided with him, his head smacking against the window of the control room causing it to shatter, shards of glass flew in every direction but luckily we managed to come out of it with only a few cuts. "YEAH! Reflect **that** you overgrown garden snake!" Sam cheered.

For what it's worth, the impact seemed to free Astamon, as I could see him swimming back to the ferry. However it didn't take long for MetalSeadramon to shake off the blow, as his crimson eyes shot open, and he turned his head in our direction, "You little twerps! That **hurt**! But this will hurt **you** a lot more!" He said before firing his nose hose again, the room began to flood with water, as Sam and I were washed out of the room, only to be stopped from flying off the ship itself by the safety railing.

The impact from hitting the metal bars knocked the wind right out of me, however Sam got the worst of it as her head hit the bars, knocking her right out! Thankfully the violent flow of water had stopped, but I couldn't even will myself to get up, still recovering from the impact.

Worse still, MetalSeadramon began to slither across the boat, murder in his eyes, "You should have just let me kill him human, I wasn't told to kill **you** , but now that you've really pissed me off, you're going for a little **swim!"** He said before smacking me with his tail, sending me flying off the ship and into the sea.

I hit the water had, sending me into the depths, I managed to right myself and swim but up to the surface, but when I did, I saw just how far MetalSeadramon had sent me, no way I'd be able to swim far enough to reach the ferry now! Worse still MetalSeadramon wasn't done with me, as I could see him torpedoing towards me. "Oh my gooood!" I screamed as soon enough I was sent tumbling through the water again by the displaced water alone.

It was then I realized what he was doing, he was trying to drown me, this was confirmed when I was sent deeper underwater by a smack of his tail, any attempts I made to resurface were met with the same result. Oh god this was bad! I couldn't last long like this, and I could only hold my breath so long! I was terrified, more scared than I'd ever been in my life, this was a losing battle with no chance of me surviving.

God why doesn't he just kill me and be done with it? Was he toying with me? Knowing how much glee he was taking in squeezing the life out of Astamon it wouldn't surprise me.

However, something grabbed the back of my shirt, pulling me out of the way of MetalSeadramon's thrashing, my savior and I both resurfaced, me finally being able to fill my lungs with air, "Are you okay?" I heard Astamon ask me, I should have figured it was him, who else could it have been?

I nodded, but before more could be said, MetalSeadramon fired his nose spout again, Astamon managing to leap out of the water and out of the way of the attack. He then took out his Tommy Gun and began to fire, the bullets mostly bouncing harmlessly off his armor, but… one managed to hurt him, as he yelped and fell back under water.

Astamon managed to get me back to the Ferry, which was in tatters by the way, however something began to bother me, "Why? Why did that hurt him?" I asked more to myself than Astamon.

Astamon began to think it over regardless, he then seemed to realize what happened, "I hit a gap in his armor!" He said, how did we not think of this before? Of course his armor had gaps, he needed to be able to move after all, we had a plan of attack now!

Both of us silently agreed to the plan, Astamon laying prone to get a better shot while I rushed off to check on Sam, she was still unconscious but thankfully still in the spot I'd left her.

MetalSeadramon predictably, came in for another attack on the boat, but this time, Astamon was ready, he fired, hitting his armor a few times, I couldn't imagine how hard it was to be accurate with a Tommy Gun, but he managed to hit the gaps a few times too, causing some damage to the sea serpent.

MetalSeadramon roared in pain as he once again submerged, he was getting wise to Astamon's strategy now, trying to keep himself underwater as much as possible, only resurfacing briefly to fire off an attack before submerging again. Astamon did his best to try to stay on him, rushing through the boat to try to catch MetalSeadramon off guard.

However, suddenly I noticed Astamon was having a hard time finding him, frantically looking over the railing to no avail, but before I could wonder what was happening, the boat began to shake.

It didn't take a genius to realize what was happening, MetalSeadramon was trying to flip the boat in a last ditch effort to kill us. I quickly grabbed the safety railing to prevent myself from falling off, grabbing Sam's unconscious body by the arm to keep her from falling as well.

The passengers on the ferry all began to panic, hanging onto the railings, some flopping helplessly across the deck, god this was bad! How the hell were we going to get out of this one? But as soon as I thought this, I saw Astamon leap off the deck…

* * *

I hit the water, hoping Sam and Kate could hold on for just a little longer, I could see MetalSeadramon trying to flip the ship over from where I was, pushing it with his head, little did he know but he was leaving himself **quite** exposed by doing this, I'd have to aim carefully, one missed shot would cause him to panic and abandon his plan to flip the ship over, and rob me of my one chance to take him out.

I knew exactly what to aim for, his eye, hopefully he'd stay distracted long enough for me to get the shot off, I aimed my gun, using a stay piece of wood to keep myself afloat, aiming a two handed gun one handed was a task, but I had no choice.

Once the aim was just right, I squeezed the trigger, the muzzle flashed, six shots off, peppering his eye with bullets, he cried out as he submerged himself, causing the boat to level back out.

I saw his tail poke out from the water, breaking apart into data fragments, letting me know I'd finally killed him, a good thing too, I doubted the ferry would have lasted much longer.

I swam back to the ferry, pulling myself up, rolling onto my side, god was I tired. I felt myself De-Digivolve back to Psychemon, that fight having taken everything out of me. I heard the sounds of feet running against the wooden deck. "Psychemon? Are you okay? Where's MetalSeadramon?" I heard Kate ask.

I opened my eyes, too weak to speak, I simply gave her a thumbs up hoping she'd get the meaning. Thankfully she did, wrapping her arms around me, "Great job Psychemon, I can't believe we actually managed to survive!" She said, overwhelmed with joy.

The other humans began to gather around, "Wait… that little thing killed the monster?" One of them questioned. However the others seemed to accept this, and applauded me regardless.

I hadn't been applauded by a crowd like this since I was the prince of the Nightmare Soldiers… it felt good… great even… knowing I just saved every one of these human's lives with my efforts, I couldn't help but smile… victorious.

"So… does anyone know how we're going to get to England now?"

My eyes shot open, oh crap I forgot about that! I looked around to see the ship was heavily damaged, my victory quickly became quite hallow, I saved the day but left everyone stranded in the middle of the ocean!

Suddenly a rather grizzly looking human approached us, "Ah… this thing can probably still get us to the port, although we'll have quite the story for them when we bring her in!" The man laughed. He then walked off to what I assumed was the control room to the thing.

And sure enough, the boat began to move again, a little worse for ware, but at least it would still get us to England… and a little closer to finding Ross…

I just hope I don't get sea sick again…

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it, I admit, my absence this time was due to writers block, trying to come up with a logical way for everyone to reunite was a task, but I eventually (kinda) figured it out, hopefully the next chapter won't take an eternity to come out… hopefully.**


	25. Road Trip!

**Chapter 25: Road Trip!**

* * *

 _ **Allen Residence-Sanford, Maine**_

* * *

It took a while for mom to recover from discovering Commandramon, admittedly, coming face to face with a gun toting robot dinosaur would cause anyone to question their sanity. But after a bit of recovery and a hot coffee, mom and I were able to discuss everything. I told her everything, about getting sucked into my computer, becoming a Digidestined, and the current problem of the Demon Lords.

To her credit, she believed the whole thing, but that could be due to her having seen Commandramon, I think at this point she'd buy anything. "I'm… sorry Jason, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this," She said before taking another sip of coffee, I could see her hands trembling slightly, it was obvious she was nervous, whether that was about the impending doom of the Demon Lords, or that she just learned there's a whole other reality in cyberspace, I couldn't tell.

She took a moment before speaking again, "Jason, I don't know how I feel about… well… **any** of this," She said, oh no here it comes, she's going to go into Mom-mode and forbid me from saving the world, I just know it. "I mean… that thing has a **gun** for god sake! And you said he was a part of this… Rex character's attack force? How the hell do you even know you can trust that thing?" She asked.

Or she'd question Commandramon, that works too. To be fair though, she had a point… at least on the surface, it **was** kind of dumb for me to trust him initially, considering what I had seen his comrades doing previously, for all tense and purposes, I lucked out with him. "I've been with him long enough to know I can trust him, he's not a bad Digimon, just dealt a bad hand in life," I said.

Mom sighed, "If you say so," She said, "Do you have any idea how to go about this? I mean… do you even know where this Rex guy even **is**?" She asked me. This was a much more valid point, because I had no clue where they were, just that they were **somewhere** on Earth.

I let out a sigh of my own, "No… not really, I just know that they're in this world, not exactly **where** on this world," I admitted… to be honest, it was kinda dumb how little I knew right now, hell I didn't even know how I was going to reunite with the others! God I suck!

Mom seemed to pick up on this, "First thing we need to do is get in contact with those other Digidestined you mentioned, I don't suppose they gave you their phone numbers or anything?" She asked me.

How the hell did we not think to do that? It wasn't like none of us had our phones on us, I know I did, I guess everything just happened so fast and we were just so shocked Rex took the war to the real world we didn't think to do it. "I'm guessing by the look on your face you didn't," She deduced, sometimes I forgot how good mom was at reading me, I guess it just came with being an investigative reporter, or being my mother, one or the other, "Well, try Facebook, everyone's on Facebook, I've found several people at work using it," She said.

It was a solid plan, I knew their names and faces, getting in contact with them through there wouldn't be so hard, at least being able to coordinate would help immensely. So finally having a solid plan in place, I rushed up to my room to look up my friends on Facebook, who would have thought Facebook of all things would be instrumental in saving the world from utter destruction? Life is stupid sometimes…

I decided on finding Ethan first, since he was the closest one geographically to me, being Canadian and all. Of course the name Ethan Jacobs brought up a **lot** of results, god it was gonna take a while to find him, "Sir, may I ask what you're doing?" Commandramon asked me.

Commandramon had elected to stay in my room while mom and I talked, after his first encounter with her I didn't blame him. "I'm trying to find Ethan on Facebook so we can coordinate a game plan or something," I explained. But I forgot one key detail about Commandramon.

"What's a "Facebook"?"

He wasn't from the real world, there was something kind of ironic about a high tech robo soldier from a world born from computers asking what Facebook was like an out of touch grandma. So now I had to explain the concept of social media to a Digimon, "It's a website where people hang out and share pictures, web links, and stuff like that," I explained. "Problem is there are a million Ethan Jacobs in the world, finding the right one will be tou-" I began but suddenly my computer began to scroll inhumanly fast.

It wasn't until I looked to my partner did I realize what was happening, he was hacking into my computer, you could tell just from his blank, trance like expression, the fact he could do this was unnerving, especially considering how little time it took for him to do this, "Found him," He said, stopping the scrolling on Ethan's account and clicking on it, it didn't take long to confirm this was the Ethan we were looking for, he had plenty of pictures of himself on it, mostly of him skateboarding.

I'd have to send a friend request to chat with him though, but considering we all knew what was going on I doubt it'd take long for him to jump on it… well… as long as he checks his Facebook at least…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **London Ontario, Canada.**_

* * *

It'd been **too** long since I've gotten to skate, I felt like myself again, I knew I was wasting valuable time, but I needed this, I **really** needed this.

Gaomon didn't seem too fond of it though, god he looked so bored, he just had that look on his face like he wished he was anywhere else right now, I kinda felt bad for him now… I picked my board off the ground, "You okay dude?" I asked him.

Gaomon seemed startled, as if his mind were somewhere else up until that point, "Y… yeah… why?" He asked sheepishly. He knew why… I could tell just by the look on his face.

However, before I could ask, I heard a very loud growling sound come from Gaomon, "Uh… Ethan… you wouldn't happen to have any food on you would you?" He asked me, this seemed like a good time as any to take a break and grab some food.

I chuckled, "Come on, there's a diner not too far from here we can eat at, I'm buyin'," I said, why did I add the "I'm buying" part? Of course I was buying, I doubt Gaomon had Canadian currency on him, bringing Gaomon through town wouldn't be hard, I could just tell people he was in a costume, he was about the size of a kid anyways, besides, it's been too long since I've had **real** food.

Gaomon and I walked down the street until we happened upon Johnny's, a diner I frequented, I opened the door with a jingle, thankfully things were slow today it seemed, as I seemed to be one of the few people here.

"Yo, Ethan! Man what's up?"

I looked to the counter, a boy with scraggly semi long brown hair and bright green eyes had noticed me, he was in his work uniform, this was Tyler Mac, one of my skater friends who worked at the Diner. I sat at the bar counter, Gaomon pulling himself up next to me, Tyler noticed him instantly, "Dude… what's up with the dog dude?" He asked me.

I should probably mention that Tyler wasn't exactly the brightest bulb of the bunch, he was failing most of his classes, that is if he even attended them, but he was a good dude at heart, "Oh, this is Gaomon," I explained, I didn't want to go into too much detail with other people within listening distance.

Tyler laughed, "Sup man," He said, extending his fist for a fist bump, Gaomon cautiously bumped fists with him, I could tell Gaomon didn't think too highly of Tyler just by the look on his face.

"MAC! Quit wasting time and get the customer's orders or you're fired!"

Tyler jumped at the sound of his angry manager's voice, "Uh! Sure thing Mr. Banks sir!" He said, fumbling for his notebook to take our orders, "So.. what'll it be?" He asked me.

I already knew what I wanted, "The usual," I said simply, the "usual" for me was a bacon burger and fries, unhealthy? Yeah, but I was young, I didn't really care to be honest. "How bout you Gaomon?" I asked my Digimon.

Gaomon seemed to puzzle over the menu for a while, I remembered that the Digital World had it's own lettering style, so I imagined trying to read normal English was quite a challenge for him "I guess I'll have the same," He said, I doubt he even knew what it was I ordered, he just basically gave up on deciphering the menu.

Tyler began writing down on the notepad, "Okay, that's two bacon cheese burgers with fries, it'll be out in just a few secs," He said before going back to inform the cook of our order.

Gaomon waiting until Tyler was out of ear shot to speak, "I don't think I like your friend Ethan," He said rather bluntly, then again, Gaomon was always as subtle as an atom bomb when it came to telling people how he felt about others.

I chuckled, "Tyler's not the brightest guy, but he's cool as they come," I said, I was debating with myself whether I wanted to involve Tyler in this Digimon thing or not, he **did** have a driver's license, something I lacked, and the idea of having a close friend with me in this adventure made it feel less intimidating.

However suddenly my phone pinged, it'd been so long since my phone had any sort of service I had almost forgotten what it's notification chime sounded like, I quickly took it from my pocket and pushed the button to bring up the lock screen.

It was a notification from Facebook telling me someone had sent a friend request, usually this kind of message was something I simply swiped away and ignored, but the name prevented me from doing so.

It was from Jason, he must have been trying to contact me, and decided for whatever reason, Facebook was the best means to do so. I wasted no time, if Jason wanted to talk it **had** to be important right? I accepted the request, and within second Jason began to chat with me.

" _We really should have given each other's phone numbers lol"_

Well… yeah… thinking about it, we really should have had more foresight in that regard.

" _So… what's our plan exactly, I don't really have a means to get to you dude,"_

" _If we can all meet in one place it would help, would really help if we knew where the Demon Lords were,"_

" _Yeah,"_

" _So, what are you up to now?"_

" _Gaomon got hungry, grabbing a bite at a diner my friend Tyler works at, how about you?"_

" _Spent the morning trying to stop my mom from beating Commandramon with a toy lightsaber lol"_

It seemed Jason had a much more chaotic return to home than I did, I lucked out that my dad happened to be passed out in front of the TV, I can't imagine what his reaction to Gaomon would have been. I imagine it wouldn't have been a **calm** reaction, probably resulting in a long lecture about how I should know better than to get mixed up in inter-dimensional wars or something.

" _So, how are we going to meet up?"_

" _I think it might be better if I come to you Jason, my dad's not exactly the most friendly type,_ "

" _Fine, I'm in Maine, so it shouldn't be too far away from Canada, you got a means to get here?"_

" _I might,"_

And with that, we ended the text chat, it was clear set, getting to Maine from Ontario would be a **bit** of a trip, god why did we all have to be from different countries again? Seems like a really stupid way to build your hero team. But now I knew I'd have to rely on Tyler to get me there, I'd have to talk to him later.

Speaking of Tyler, he finally came out from the back and laid our plates on the counter. "Okay, here you are," Tyler said.

I waster no time in taking a big bite, god it was so good, having to subsist on Commandramon's horrible bars from hell for as long as I had been would make anything taste amazing, it was so nice to have real food again. Gaomon was already digging in, if I learned one thing about Digimon during my adventures in the Digital World, it was how much they loved food. I'm sure he was having the same sensation I was over having real food again.

However, I noticed something on the TV in the corner of the diner, a news report about something going on overseas, an attractive woman was on screen, with a totally trashed boat behind her. "Reports say a ferry traveling from Dublin, Ireland, to London, England was attacked by what witnesses say looked like a quote "metal sea dragon", the ferry you see behind me arrived earlier today in the English harbor, barely holding together after the alleged attack," The reporter explained.

My blood ran cold, normally, I would have waved off such a thing as crazy nonsense, but knowing what I knew now, there was no way that **wasn't** a Digimon attack, oh god, what if it was one of the Demon Lords? We weren't ready to fight them off yet!

The report continued, "The bizarre claims don't end there though, survivors of the alleged attack claimed the monster was dispatched by "Some small pink thing wearing an animal pelt," British authorities are baffled by these claims, fearing the attack may have caused some form of delirium in the survivors, as no such creature was found among the survivors," She continued.

That **had** to be Psychemon, which told me that Kate was on that ferry, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together that the Digimon attacked the ferry specifically because Kate was on it, that made this **so** much worse, they were targeting us, which meant I had the risk of running into a nasty surprise if I tried to travel to America.

I was beginning to have second thoughts on involving Tyler, how could I put one of my best friends in danger like that? That ferry was a wreck, I can't imagine Tyler's rickety old van could survive a pounding on that level! What if he got hurt or worse killed? I would never be able to forgive myself.

Gaomon and I both finished our meals, I of course picked up the tab, it wasn't much really, Tyler always gave me a discount. However I had a conundrum now, Tyler was my only feasible means to get to Jason, but I really didn't like risking his life like this.

I decided I needed a second opinion, and if anyone knew how to be brutally honest with me, it was Gaomon, "Hey Gaomon, can I ask your opinion on something?" I asked him.

Gaomon blinked, "Of course, what's on your mind?" He replied.

Well, here it goes, "Jason messaged me earlier, we agreed to meet up in America, but… there's a problem," I began, "I only have one means to get there, and I don't really know if I like it," I added. "Tyler's one of the only friends I know with a driver's license, but… that report in the diner, that creature that attacked that ferry in Ireland, I'm scared something like that will happen to us and… I don't want my friend in the middle of that ya know? What should I do?" I asked.

Gaomon gave it some thought, I know he didn't really like Tyler all that much, so the fact he'd have to **travel** with him was probably going to effect his response, "Ethan, I may not care too much for your friend, but I wouldn't let something happen to him any more than I would let happen to you, if he's our only way to Jason, we have to take it," He said.

He had a point, I needed to get to America, and Tyler was my only real option, no way would I ever be able to convince my dad to drive **that** far out, and explaining the Digimon thing to **him** would be much easier than doing so with anyone else. As much as I didn't want to risk his life, there really wasn't much of a choice here.

So we both agreed to the plan, I just had to wait until Tyler got off work…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Outside Mack's Bar, Canada…**_

* * *

Traveling between worlds wasn't something I'd ever experienced before, or even really desired to do, but when Lilithmon commands you to do something, if you value your life you do it. I found myself outside of some kind of bar, motorcycles were all parked in neat rows outside, I had my mission, to hunt down and destroy the Canadian Digidestined and his pet Gaomon. Seemed easy enough, a rookie stood no chance against an Ultimate like myself.

I could hear the faint sounds of rock music coming from the establishment, the humans inside where probably drinking themselves into a stupor, leaving their bikes unattended, I needed a means of travel, so borrowing one wouldn't hurt.

I sat on the nearest one, but the second I did, "HEY! The hell you think you're doing on my bike asshole?" One biker happened to notice, and was clearly not pleased. However it didn't take long for him to notice I wasn't a human, as he quickly lost his courage, "Th.. the hell are you?!" He asked.

I laughed, "Me? I'm SkullMeramon, you'd best rethink attacking me human, you won't like the outcome," I said, I knew I could tear through these humans like wet toilet paper, humans were notoriously weak creatures, but I'd rather not waste energy on these fools.

But of course, "F**k you man! I ain't losing my bike to some Ghost Rider looking motherf***er!" He said before bringing out a switchblade, I got up off the bike with an annoyed sigh, so much for not wasting energy.

The human quickly went to stab me in the stomach, the blade snapped the second it hit my skin, the human was in shock, "What the f**k?" He questioned, I wasted no time, simply backhanding the human sending him flying into the wall of the bar, out like a light. I took the keys from his pocket, "Thanks for the help human," I said sarcastically.

No one else dared approach me after that, I simply took the bike and drove off, I had a job to do, and I was going to do it….

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Back at the Diner…**_

* * *

Gaomon and I waited out back for Tyler to get off his shift, I had shot Tyler a text telling him I wanted to talk to him after he got off work, god I felt awful for doing this, I almost felt like I was using him, but we were talking about the fate of the world right? That kinda made it okay right?

I heard the back door of the diner open, "Hey man, so what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked me, oh god here it comes.

Okay Ethan, you can do this, deep breaths, "Okay… I'm going to tell you something, but you gotta promise me to keep it secret okay?" I told him, I knew Tyler well enough to know if I didn't open with this he'd post about it on Facebook or Twitter, he'd probably even come up with a hashtag for it.

Tyler nodded, "Okay… you met Gaomon right?" I said, pointing to Gaomon, Tyler again nodded, "Well… he's not wearing a costume, he's a creature called a Digimon they come from this world called the "Digital World"," I began, god I have to sound like a lunatic right now, "Well, me and a few other guys got roped into this war of theirs and well, long story short, I need to get to America to reunite with one of them, and I need you to drive me there so I can help save the world from evil demon Digimon who want to take over the world," I said, I was leaving a few details out, but I needed to abridge it for the sake of brevity.

Tyler just sort of stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time, yeah he thinks I'm insane now, good job Ethan! You doomed humanity by sounding like a crazy person to your friend, good job. However, suddenly Tyler's expression changed to one of excitement, "Dude! That's **awesome**! Of course I'll help out dude! Canada's boring anyways!" Tyler said, sounding like a kid who just got the toy he always wanted for Christmas.

I admit, I didn't quite expect **this** reaction from him, he had absolutely **no** fear of death or anything, but then again, Tyler wasn't the kind of guy who worried about that sort of thing. "Dude this is so cool, I get to go on a world saving adventure! Hold up, let me get my van dude," He said before going of to do just that.

I guess I should be thankful, this just became significantly easier, but the idea I was putting his life at risk still nagged at me, but the fact he was so stoked about helping me kinda alleviated that a bit.

Soon Tyler's van came rolling up to us, it was an old as dirt hippie van he got from his uncle, it was a piece of crap, but it was my best way to get to America, Tyler hung himself out the window, "Hop in dude! We've got a world to save!" He said.

Gaomon and I both got in, the van itself was a three seat deal, the back being empty, "Your friend seems bizarrely accepting of all this," Gaomon commented.

Tyler however didn't wait for me to answer, "You kidding dude? Nothing cool ever happens around here, besides, I've always wanted to go on a cross country road trip!" He said, Tyler had always said he wanted to travel the world when he graduated high school, see the sights and all that, I guess in a way this was a means for him to do just that.

And with that we were off, ready to embark on our epic quest to save the world, I just hope we don't run into any trouble along the way…

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **London, England…**_

* * *

Saying it was lucky we had survived that encounter on the ferry would be an understatement, we had to quickly duck out of the crowd at the docks to avoid the media, who had clearly wasted no time at all in reporting on the thing, I didn't like the idea of splashing poor Psychemon all over the news.

Sam had thankfully woken up by the time we had reached shore, so I didn't have to carry her around, but after all that chaos, we were wet, tired, and a bit miserable, we all plopped ourselves onto a park bench and tried to compose ourselves, "God… you weren't kidding about the end of the world stuff," Sam commented.

I groaned, "That thing knew I was on that ferry, you know what that means right?" I asked her, I didn't wait for Sam to answer, "It means they know what we're doing, where we're going, and I doubt we've seen the last attack either," I explained, to say I felt demoralized would be an understatement, if **that** was how powerful their goons were, how powerful where the Demon Lords themselves? I shuddered to think.

However, Sam chuckled, "Well then we'd better find that Ross guy quickly then, wouldn't want him to miss out on all the fun now would we?" She said, Sam somehow managed to maintain her high spirits regardless of how bad our situation had become. In a weird way that helped me feel a bit better, "So… where in England is Ross again?" She asked me.

Crap! I knew I was forgetting something, "I think I remember him mentioning he worked at a Tattoo parlor in Norfolk," I said.

Sam nodded, "Then that's where we'll go, come on!" She said, excitedly running off, Psychemon and I having to scramble just to catch up with her.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 _ **Canada…**_

* * *

I have to admit, getting used to Ethan's friend Tyler was a bit of a task, he was careless, childish, and wasn't taking this as seriously as he should be, he was treating this like a road trip with his buddies, not a world saving mission. Ethan seemed to be sharing his friend's upbeat demeanor, singing along with the radio, as much as I liked seeing Ethan happy during this decidedly unhappy situation his world found itself in, I couldn't help but feel like I was the only one taking this seriously.

I found myself just staring out the window, watching the scenery pass me by, despite it being a completely different world to my own, the forest that flew by us reminded me of home, I didn't think I'd miss it as much as I did, but I guess Ethan felt the same way when he was brought to **my** world.

Tyler suddenly took a left turn, "Dude, I'm running low on gas, gotta pull into a station," He said, I admit, I wasn't too familiar with cars, they weren't common in the Digital World, but it almost seemed like wasting time to make a stop like this, every second was precious.

Add this to the fact that Tyler didn't seem to understand the importance of this mission, and I was beginning to lose my patience with him, "We don't have time for detours Tyler! The world is at stake!" I objected.

Tyler seemed caught off guard by my objection, "Dude, I can't drive with no gas man, why you goin' all aggro on me?" He asked.

That was it, I couldn't stand this guy, "Maybe because you're not taking this seriously? This isn't a vacation! We're trying to save the world here! And all you've been doing since we left London is goof around!" I snapped, my frustrations with Tyler were starting to get the better of me, his explanation should have been good enough, the car had to run on something, but I didn't really care, there was just **something** about Tyler that got under my skin.

Ethan decided to intervene, "Gaomon? Dude relax, it won't take long," He said, trying to calm me down, I did my best to stay my tongue as Tyler pulled into a gas station. As he exited the car Ethan decided now was a good time to talk, "Dude, what was that about?" He asked me.

I didn't really have much of an answer for him, there was just **something** about Tyler that bothered me, but for the life of me, I just couldn't pin point what it was. There was just something that didn't sit well, something that annoyed me. "I… I'm not sure… I just…" I tried to fumble for the right words to explain myself but kept coming up empty.

Ethan sighed, "Look, I know Tyler can be a bit of a goofball, but I've been friends with him for years, he knows what's at stake okay?" He explained, something about that "friends with him for years" comment sent a ping in my stomach. "Look dude, we'll get there, just relax alright?" He then said.

Relax… sure… I'll do that…

* * *

I found them… I admit, I almost missed them, but I happened to spot a Gaomon in the van, that had to be them, but before I could approach, another human got into the van and drove off, but at least I had them in my sights now, I couldn't wait to tear them apart, it would be so easy, almost unfair… but this is why I loved doing what I do…

Enjoy your little road trip while you can human, because it's about to become **very** unpleasant…

* * *

 **A/N: Uh oh! Looks like SkullMeramon has found our intrepid heroes! Will our heroes make it to America? And what is up with Gaomon? Find out next time! Whenever I decide to update again...**


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